1
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Zou J, Mitra K, Anees P, Oettinger D, Ramirez JR, Veetil AT, Gupta PD, Rao R, Smith JJ, Kratsios P, Krishnan Y. A DNA nanodevice for mapping sodium at single-organelle resolution. Nat Biotechnol 2024; 42:1075-1083. [PMID: 37735265 PMCID: PMC11004682 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-01950-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Cellular sodium ion (Na+) homeostasis is integral to organism physiology. Our current understanding of Na+ homeostasis is largely limited to Na+ transport at the plasma membrane. Organelles may also contribute to Na+ homeostasis; however, the direction of Na+ flow across organelle membranes is unknown because organellar Na+ cannot be imaged. Here we report a pH-independent, organelle-targetable, ratiometric probe that reports lumenal Na+. It is a DNA nanodevice containing a Na+-sensitive fluorophore, a reference dye and an organelle-targeting domain. By measuring Na+ at single endosome resolution in mammalian cells and Caenorhabditis elegans, we discovered that lumenal Na+ levels in each stage of the endolysosomal pathway exceed cytosolic levels and decrease as endosomes mature. Further, we find that lysosomal Na+ levels in nematodes are modulated by the Na+/H+ exchanger NHX-5 in response to salt stress. The ability to image subcellular Na+ will unveil mechanisms of Na+ homeostasis at an increased level of cellular detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyi Zou
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Koushambi Mitra
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Palapuravan Anees
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Daphne Oettinger
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Joseph R Ramirez
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Aneesh Tazhe Veetil
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Priyanka Dutta Gupta
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Rajini Rao
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jayson J Smith
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Paschalis Kratsios
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Yamuna Krishnan
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Neuroscience Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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2
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Soo SK, Rudich ZD, Ko B, Moldakozhayev A, AlOkda A, Van Raamsdonk JM. Biological resilience and aging: Activation of stress response pathways contributes to lifespan extension. Ageing Res Rev 2023; 88:101941. [PMID: 37127095 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.101941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
While aging was traditionally viewed as a stochastic process of damage accumulation, it is now clear that aging is strongly influenced by genetics. The identification and characterization of long-lived genetic mutants in model organisms has provided insights into the genetic pathways and molecular mechanisms involved in extending longevity. Long-lived genetic mutants exhibit activation of multiple stress response pathways leading to enhanced resistance to exogenous stressors. As a result, lifespan exhibits a significant, positive correlation with resistance to stress. Disruption of stress response pathways inhibits lifespan extension in multiple long-lived mutants representing different pathways of lifespan extension and can also reduce the lifespan of wild-type animals. Combined, this suggests that activation of stress response pathways is a key mechanism by which long-lived mutants achieve their extended longevity and that many of these pathways are also required for normal lifespan. These results highlight an important role for stress response pathways in determining the lifespan of an organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja K Soo
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program, and Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Zenith D Rudich
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program, and Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Bokang Ko
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program, and Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Alibek Moldakozhayev
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program, and Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Abdelrahman AlOkda
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program, and Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jeremy M Van Raamsdonk
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program, and Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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3
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Maushe D, Ogi V, Divakaran K, Verdecia Mogena AM, Himmighofen PA, Machado RAR, Towbin BD, Ehlers RU, Molina C, Parisod C, Maud Robert CA. Stress tolerance in entomopathogenic nematodes: Engineering superior nematodes for precision agriculture. J Invertebr Pathol 2023:107953. [PMID: 37336478 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2023.107953] [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: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are soil-dwelling parasitic roundworms commonly used as biocontrol agents of insect pests in agriculture. EPN dauer juveniles locate and infect a host in which they will grow and multiply until resource depletion. During their free-living stage, EPNs face a series of internal and environmental stresses. Their ability to overcome these challenges is crucial to determine their infection success and survival. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of EPN response to stresses associated with starvation, low/elevated temperatures, desiccation, osmotic stress, hypoxia, and ultra-violet light. We further report EPN defense strategies to cope with biotic stressors such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and predatory insects. By comparing the genetic and biochemical basis of these strategies to the nematode model Caenorhabditis elegans, we provide new avenues and targets to select and engineer precision nematodes adapted to specific field conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothy Maushe
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Vera Ogi
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Keerthi Divakaran
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Paul Anton Himmighofen
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ricardo A R Machado
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile Argand 11, CH-2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin Daniel Towbin
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ralf-Udo Ehlers
- e- nema GmbH, Klausdorfer Str. 28-36, DE-24223 Schwentinental, Germany
| | - Carlos Molina
- e- nema GmbH, Klausdorfer Str. 28-36, DE-24223 Schwentinental, Germany
| | - Christian Parisod
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Christelle Aurélie Maud Robert
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland; Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
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4
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Urso SJ, Sathaseevan A, Brent Derry W, Lamitina T. Regulation of the hypertonic stress response by the 3' mRNA cleavage and polyadenylation complex. Genetics 2023; 224:iyad051. [PMID: 36972377 PMCID: PMC10490458 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad051] [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: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Maintenance of osmotic homeostasis is one of the most aggressively defended homeostatic set points in physiology. One major mechanism of osmotic homeostasis involves the upregulation of proteins that catalyze the accumulation of solutes called organic osmolytes. To better understand how osmolyte accumulation proteins are regulated, we conducted a forward genetic screen in Caenorhabditis elegans for mutants with no induction of osmolyte biosynthesis gene expression (Nio mutants). The nio-3 mutant encoded a missense mutation in cpf-2/CstF64, while the nio-7 mutant encoded a missense mutation in symk-1/Symplekin. Both cpf-2 and symk-1 are nuclear components of the highly conserved 3' mRNA cleavage and polyadenylation complex. cpf-2 and symk-1 block the hypertonic induction of gpdh-1 and other osmotically induced mRNAs, suggesting they act at the transcriptional level. We generated a functional auxin-inducible degron (AID) allele for symk-1 and found that acute, post-developmental degradation in the intestine and hypodermis was sufficient to cause the Nio phenotype. symk-1 and cpf-2 exhibit genetic interactions that strongly suggest they function through alterations in 3' mRNA cleavage and/or alternative polyadenylation. Consistent with this hypothesis, we find that inhibition of several other components of the mRNA cleavage complex also cause a Nio phenotype. cpf-2 and symk-1 specifically affect the osmotic stress response since heat shock-induced upregulation of a hsp-16.2::GFP reporter is normal in these mutants. Our data suggest a model in which alternative polyadenylation of 1 or more mRNAs is essential to regulate the hypertonic stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarel J Urso
- Graduate Program in Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Anson Sathaseevan
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - W Brent Derry
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Todd Lamitina
- Graduate Program in Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Division of Child Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
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5
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Pan P, Qin Z, Sun W, Zhou Y, Wang S, Song P, Wang Y, Ru C, Wang X, Calarco J, Liu X. A spiral microfluidic device for rapid sorting, trapping, and long-term live imaging of Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2023; 9:17. [PMID: 36844938 PMCID: PMC9943735 DOI: 10.1038/s41378-023-00485-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans embryos have been widely used to study cellular processes and developmental regulation at early stages. However, most existing microfluidic devices focus on the studies of larval or adult worms rather than embryos. To accurately study the real-time dynamics of embryonic development under different conditions, many technical barriers must be overcome; these can include single-embryo sorting and immobilization, precise control of the experimental environment, and long-term live imaging of embryos. This paper reports a spiral microfluidic device for effective sorting, trapping, and long-term live imaging of single C. elegans embryos under precisely controlled experimental conditions. The device successfully sorts embryos from a mixed population of C. elegans at different developmental stages via Dean vortices generated inside a spiral microchannel and traps the sorted embryos at single-cell resolution through hydrodynamic traps on the sidewall of the spiral channel for long-term imaging. Through the well-controlled microenvironment inside the microfluidic device, the response of the trapped C. elegans embryos to mechanical and chemical stimulation can be quantitatively measured. The experimental results show that a gentle hydrodynamic force would induce faster growth of embryos, and embryos developmentally arrested in the high-salinity solution could be rescued by the M9 buffer. The microfluidic device provides new avenues for easy, rapid, high-content screening of C. elegans embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Pan
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King’s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8 Canada
| | - Zhen Qin
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King’s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8 Canada
| | - William Sun
- Upper Canada College, 200 Lonsdale Road, Toronto, Ontario M4V 1W6 Canada
| | - Yuxiao Zhou
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King’s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8 Canada
| | - Shaojia Wang
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King’s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8 Canada
| | - Pengfei Song
- School of Advanced Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, 111 Ren’ai Road, Suzhou, 215000 China
| | - Yong Wang
- School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009 China
| | - Changhai Ru
- School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009 China
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012 China
| | - John Calarco
- Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord St, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G5 Canada
| | - Xinyu Liu
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King’s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8 Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G9 Canada
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6
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Chandler LM, Rodriguez M, Choe KP. RNAi screening for modulators of an osmo-sensitive gene response to extracellular matrix damage reveals negative feedback and interactions with translation inhibition. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0285328. [PMID: 37155688 PMCID: PMC10166495 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
In epidermal tissues, extracellular matrices (ECMs) function as barriers between the organism and environment. Despite being at the interface with the environment, little is known about the role of animal barrier ECMs in sensing stress and communicating with cytoprotective gene pathways in neighboring cells. We and others have identified a putative damage sensor in the C. elegans cuticle that regulates osmotic, detoxification, and innate immune response genes. This pathway is associated with circumferential collagen bands called annular furrows; mutation or loss of furrow collagens causes constitutive activation of osmotic, detoxification, and innate immune response genes. Here, we performed a genome-wide RNAi screen for modulators of osmotic stress response gene gpdh-1 in a furrow collagen mutant strain. RNAi of six genes identified in this screen were tested under other conditions and for effects on other stress responses. The functions of these genes suggest negative feedback within osmolyte accumulation pathways and interactions with ATP homeostasis and protein synthesis. Loss of these gpdh-1 modulators had distinct effects on canonical detoxification and innate immune response genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke M Chandler
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Michael Rodriguez
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Keith P Choe
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
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7
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Chandler LM, Choe KP. Extracellular matrix regulation of stress response genes during larval development in Caenorhabditis elegans. G3 GENES|GENOMES|GENETICS 2022; 12:6674512. [PMID: 36000892 PMCID: PMC9635657 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Mutation or loss of 6 extracellular matrix collagen genes disrupts annular furrows in adult C. elegans cuticles, causes a wide “Dumpy” body morphology, and activates osmotic, detoxification, and antimicrobial defense genes. High environmental osmolarity reduces internal turgor pressure, physically distorts the epidermis, and activates the same stress responses. Collagen gene mutations that cause Dumpy without furrow disruption do not activate stress responses. These results are consistent with an extracellular damage sensor associated with furrows in the adult cuticle that regulates environmental stress responses in adjacent cells. Several cuticle characteristics change between molts, but all stages have annular furrows and express furrow collagen genes. We compared body shape, furrow organization imaged with differential interference contrast microscopy, and stress response gene expression in furrow collagen gene mutants at all postembryonic stages. We find that most body shape and furrow disorganization phenotypes start at the L3 stage and increase in severity with each molt afterwards. Stress response genes were induced the strongest in adults, correlating with the greatest Dumpy and furrow phenotypes. Although weaker than in adults, osmolyte transporter gene hmit-1.1 and antimicrobial gene nlp-29 were also induced in some early larvae that had weak or undetectable cuticle phenotypes. Our data are consistent with progressive cuticle phenotypes in which each new cuticle is at least partially directed by organization of the former cuticle. Gene expression and cuticle data support the role of furrow disruption as a signal in L4 larvae and adults, but also suggest a role for other cuticle organization or epidermal cell effects in early larvae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke M Chandler
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Keith P Choe
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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8
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Piloto JH, Rodriguez M, Choe KP. Sexual dimorphism in Caenorhabditis elegans stress resistance. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272452. [PMID: 35951614 PMCID: PMC9371273 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Physiological responses to the environment, disease, and aging vary by sex in many animals, but mechanisms of dimorphism have only recently begun to receive careful attention. The genetic model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has well-defined mechanisms of stress response, aging, and sexual differentiation. C. elegans has males, but the vast majority of research only uses hermaphrodites. We found that males of the standard N2 laboratory strain were more resistant to hyperosmolarity, heat, and a natural pro-oxidant than hermaphrodites when in mixed-sex groups. Resistance to heat and pro-oxidant were also male-biased in three genetically and geographically diverse C. elegans strains consistent with a species-wide dimorphism that is not specific to domestication. N2 males were also more resistant to heat and pro-oxidant when keep individually indicating that differences in resistance do not require interactions between worms. We found that males induce canonical stress response genes by similar degrees and in similar tissues as hermaphrodites suggesting the importance of other mechanisms. We find that resistance to heat and pro-oxidant are influenced by the sex differentiation transcription factor TRA-1 suggesting that downstream organ differentiation pathways establish differences in stress resistance. Environmental stress influences survival in natural environments, degenerative disease, and aging. Understanding mechanisms of stress response dimorphism can therefore provide insights into sex-specific population dynamics, disease, and longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan H. Piloto
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Michael Rodriguez
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
| | - Keith P. Choe
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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9
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Phosphoglycolate phosphatase homologs act as glycerol-3-phosphate phosphatase to control stress and healthspan in C. elegans. Nat Commun 2022; 13:177. [PMID: 35017476 PMCID: PMC8752807 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27803-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Metabolic stress due to nutrient excess and lipid accumulation is at the root of many age-associated disorders and the identification of therapeutic targets that mimic the beneficial effects of calorie restriction has clinical importance. Here, using C. elegans as a model organism, we study the roles of a recently discovered enzyme at the heart of metabolism in mammalian cells, glycerol-3-phosphate phosphatase (G3PP) (gene name Pgp) that hydrolyzes glucose-derived glycerol-3-phosphate to glycerol. We identify three Pgp homologues in C. elegans (pgph) and demonstrate in vivo that their protein products have G3PP activity, essential for glycerol synthesis. We demonstrate that PGPH/G3PP regulates the adaptation to various stresses, in particular hyperosmolarity and glucotoxicity. Enhanced G3PP activity reduces fat accumulation, promotes healthy aging and acts as a calorie restriction mimetic at normal food intake without altering fertility. Thus, PGP/G3PP can be considered as a target for age-related metabolic disorders.
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10
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Bayer EA, Liberatore KM, Schneider JR, Schlesinger E, He Z, Birnbaum S, Wightman B. Insulin signaling and osmotic stress response regulate arousal and developmental progression of C. elegans at hatching. Genetics 2022; 220:iyab202. [PMID: 34788806 PMCID: PMC8733457 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The progression of animal development from embryonic to juvenile life depends on the coordination of organism-wide responses with environmental conditions. We found that two transcription factors that function in interneuron differentiation in Caenorhabditis elegans, fax-1, and unc-42, are required for arousal and progression from embryogenesis to larval life by potentiating insulin signaling. The combination of mutations in either transcription factor and a mutation in daf-2 insulin receptor results in a novel perihatching arrest phenotype; embryos are fully developed but inactive, often remaining trapped within the eggshell, and fail to initiate pharyngeal pumping. This pathway is opposed by an osmotic sensory response pathway that promotes developmental arrest and a sleep state at the end of embryogenesis in response to elevated salt concentration. The quiescent state induced by loss of insulin signaling or by osmotic stress can be reversed by mutations in genes that are required for sleep. Therefore, countervailing signals regulate late embryonic arousal and developmental progression to larval life, mechanistically linking the two responses. Our findings demonstrate a role for insulin signaling in an arousal circuit, consistent with evidence that insulin-related regulation may function in control of sleep states in many animals. The opposing quiescent arrest state may serve as an adaptive response to the osmotic threat from high salinity environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A Bayer
- Biology Department, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104, USA
| | | | | | - Evan Schlesinger
- Biology Department, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104, USA
| | - Zhengying He
- Biology Department, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104, USA
| | - Susanna Birnbaum
- Biology Department, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104, USA
| | - Bruce Wightman
- Biology Department, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104, USA
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11
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Wimberly K, Choe KP. An extracellular matrix damage sensor signals through membrane-associated kinase DRL-1 to mediate cytoprotective responses in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2021; 220:6444994. [PMID: 34849856 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We and others previously identified circumferential bands of collagen named annular furrows as key components of a damage sensor in the cuticle of Caenorhabditis elegans that regulates cytoprotective genes. Mutation or loss of non-collagen secreted proteins OSM-7, OSM-8, and OSM-11 activate the same cytoprotective responses without obvious changes to the cuticle indicating that other extracellular proteins are involved. Here, we used RNAi screening to identify protein kinase DRL-1 as a key modulator of cytoprotective gene expression and stress resistance in furrow and extracellular OSM protein mutants. DRL-1 functions downstream from furrow disruption and is expressed in cells that induce cytoprotective genes. DRL-1 is not required for expression of cytoprotective genes under basal or oxidative stress conditions consistent with specificity to extracellular signals. DRL-1 was previously shown to regulate longevity via a 'Dietary Restriction-Like' state, but it functions downstream from furrow disruption by a distinct mechanism. The kinase domain of DRL-1 is related to mammalian MEKK3, and MEKK3 is recruited to a plasma membrane osmosensor complex by a scaffold protein. In C. elegans, DRL-1 contains an atypical hydrophobic C-terminus with predicted transmembrane domains and is constitutively expressed at or near the plasma membrane where it could function to receive extracellular damage signals for cells that mount cytoprotective responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keon Wimberly
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Keith P Choe
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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12
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Metabolic Analysis of the Development of the Plant-Parasitic Cyst Nematodes Heterodera schachtii and Heterodera trifolii by Capillary Electrophoresis Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms221910488. [PMID: 34638828 PMCID: PMC8508704 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910488] [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: 08/21/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The cyst nematodes Heterodera schachtii and Heterodera trifolii, whose major hosts are sugar beet and clover, respectively, damage a broad range of plants, resulting in significant economic losses. Nematodes synthesize metabolites for organismal development and social communication. We performed metabolic profiling of H. schachtii and H. trifolii in the egg, juvenile 2 (J2), and female stages. In all, 392 peaks were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry, which revealed a lot of similarities among metabolomes. Aromatic amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, choline metabolism, methionine salvage pathway, glutamate metabolism, urea cycle, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, coenzyme metabolism, purine metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle for energy conversion (β-oxidation and branched-chain amino acid metabolism) energy storage were involved in all stages studied. The egg and female stages synthesized higher levels of metabolites compared to the J2 stage. The key metabolites detected were glycerol, guanosine, hydroxyproline, citric acid, phosphorylcholine, and the essential amino acids Phe, Leu, Ser, and Val. Metabolites, such as hydroxyproline, acetylcholine, serotonin, glutathione, and glutathione disulfide, which are associated with growth and reproduction, mobility, and neurotransmission, predominated in the J2 stage. Other metabolites, such as SAM, 3PSer, 3-ureidopropionic acid, CTP, UDP, UTP, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric acid, 2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol, 2-hydroxy-4-methylvaleric acid, Gly Asp, glucuronic acid-3 + galacturonic acid-3 Ser-Glu, citrulline, and γ-Glu-Asn, were highly detected in the egg stage. Meanwhile, nicotinamide, 3-PG, F6P, Cys, ADP-Ribose, Ru5P, S7P, IMP, DAP, diethanolamine, p-Hydroxybenzoic acid, and γ-Glu-Arg_divalent were unique to the J2 stage. Formiminoglutamic acid, nicotinaminde riboside + XC0089, putrescine, thiamine 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 3-methyladenine, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, m-hydrobenzoic acid, o- and p-coumaric acid, and shikimic acid were specific to the female stage. Overall, highly similar identities and quantities of metabolites between the corresponding stages of the two species of nematode were observed. Our results will be a valuable resource for further studies of physiological changes related to the development of nematodes and nematode-plant interactions.
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13
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Xie Y, Zhang P, Zhang L. Genome-Wide Transcriptional Responses of Marine Nematode Litoditis marina to Hyposaline and Hypersaline Stresses. Front Physiol 2021; 12:672099. [PMID: 34017268 PMCID: PMC8129518 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.672099] [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: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Maintenance of osmotic homeostasis is essential for all organisms, especially for marine animals in the ocean with 3% salinity or higher. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms that how marine animals adapt to high salinity environment compared to their terrestrial relatives, remain elusive. Here, we investigated marine animal’s genome-wide transcriptional responses to salinity stresses using an emerging marine nematode model Litoditis marina. We found that the transthyretin-like family genes were significantly increased in both hyposaline and hypersaline conditions, while multiple neurotransmitter receptor and ion transporter genes were down-regulated in both conditions, suggesting the existence of conserved strategies for response to stressful salinity environments in L. marina. Unsaturated fatty acids biosynthesis related genes, neuronal related tubulins and intraflagellar transport genes were specifically up-regulated in hyposaline treated worms. By contrast, cuticle related collagen genes were enriched and up-regulated for hypersaline response. Given a wide range of salinity tolerance of the marine nematodes, this study and further genetic analysis of key gene(s) of osmoregulation in L. marina will likely provide important insights into biological evolution and environmental adaptation mechanisms in nematodes and other invertebrate animals in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusu Xie
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory of Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.,Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Pengchi Zhang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory of Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.,Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Liusuo Zhang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory of Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.,Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
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14
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Sandhu A, Badal D, Sheokand R, Tyagi S, Singh V. Specific collagens maintain the cuticle permeability barrier in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2021; 217:iyaa047. [PMID: 33789349 PMCID: PMC8045729 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyaa047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Collagen-enriched cuticle forms the outermost layer of skin in nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The nematode's genome encodes 177 collagens, but little is known about their role in maintaining the structure or barrier function of the cuticle. In this study, we found six permeability determining (PD) collagens. Loss of any of these PD collagens-DPY-2, DPY-3, DPY-7, DPY-8, DPY-9, and DPY-10-led to enhanced susceptibility of nematodes to paraquat (PQ) and antihelminthic drugs- levamisole and ivermectin. Upon exposure to PQ, PD collagen mutants accumulated more PQ and incurred more damage and death despite the robust activation of antioxidant machinery. We find that BLMP-1, a zinc finger transcription factor, maintains the barrier function of the cuticle by regulating the expression of PD collagens. We show that the permeability barrier maintained by PD collagens acts in parallel to FOXO transcription factor DAF-16 to enhance survival of insulin-like receptor mutant, daf-2. In all, this study shows that PD collagens regulate cuticle permeability by maintaining the structure of C. elegans cuticle and thus provide protection against exogenous toxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Sandhu
- Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Divakar Badal
- Center for Biosystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Riya Sheokand
- Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Shalini Tyagi
- Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Varsha Singh
- Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
- Center for Biosystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
- Lead contact
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15
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Urso SJ, Lamitina T. The C. elegans Hypertonic Stress Response: Big Insights from Shrinking Worms. Cell Physiol Biochem 2021; 55:89-105. [PMID: 33626269 DOI: 10.33594/000000332] [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] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell volume is one of the most aggressively defended physiological set points in biology. Changes in intracellular ion and water concentrations, which are induced by changes in metabolism or environmental exposures, disrupt protein folding, enzymatic activity, and macromolecular assemblies. To counter these challenges, cells and organisms have evolved multifaceted, evolutionarily conserved molecular mechanisms to restore cell volume and repair stress induced damage. However, many unanswered questions remain regarding the nature of cell volume 'sensing' as well as the molecular signaling pathways involved in activating physiological response mechanisms. Unbiased genetic screening in the model organism C. elegans is providing new and unexpected insights into these questions, particularly questions relating to the hypertonic stress response (HTSR) pathway. One surprising characteristic of the HTSR pathway in C. elegans is that it is under strong negative regulation by proteins involved in protein homeostasis and the extracellular matrix (ECM). The role of the ECM in particular highlights the importance of studying the HTSR in the context of a live organism where native ECM-tissue associations are preserved. A second novel and recently discovered characteristic is that the HTSR is regulated at the post-transcriptional level. The goal of this review is to describe these discoveries, to provide context for their implications, and to raise outstanding questions to guide future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarel J Urso
- University of Pittsburgh, Graduate Program in Cell Biology and Physiology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,University of Pittsburgh, Departments of Pediatrics and Cell Biology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Todd Lamitina
- University of Pittsburgh, Graduate Program in Cell Biology and Physiology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, .,University of Pittsburgh, Departments of Pediatrics and Cell Biology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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16
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Alsaleh SA, Barron L, Sturzenbaum S. Perchlorate detection via an invertebrate biosensor. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2021; 13:327-336. [PMID: 33392613 DOI: 10.1039/d0ay01732a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are constructed from easily obtainable ingredients that are often unregulated and difficult to trace. Salts of the oxyhalide perchlorate are frequently used as oxidisers in IEDs and in commercially available munitions, thus a reliable detection is needed to aid forensic investigations and the tracing of environmental ground or surface water contamination. We introduce the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a biosensor for the presence of perchlorate, a promising alternative to the costly, technically challenging and time-consuming current perchlorate detection methods. Perchlorate uptake dynamics in C. elegans were first validated using ion exchange chromatography followed by assessing the effects of perchlorate on key life-point indices to verify the suitability of the nematodes as a forensic biosensor. Whole genome microarrays and qPCR analyses established that a set of immune and stress response genes were enriched during perchlorate exposure. A nematode strain (agIs219) containing an integrated copy of the significantly overexpressed t24b8.5 gene promoter followed by a GFP reporter gene was shown to fluoresce in a perchlorate dose dependent manner with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.5 mg mL-1. Whilst chemicals commonly used in the construction of IEDs did not induce fluorescence, exposure to other oxyhalides did, highlighting the presence of possible shared stress response pathways. Burnt wire sparklers containing potassium perchlorate elicited fluorescence while other non-perchlorate containing post-blast explosion matrices did not. This demonstrates how C. elegans can be used to screen for perchlorate at environmental hotspots, an optimization, possibly with other target transgenes, is required to enable the detection of perchlorate at concentrations below 0.5 mg mL-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sana A Alsaleh
- Department of Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, School of Population Health & Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, London, UK.
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17
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Dehydrated Caenorhabditis elegans Stocks Are Resistant to Multiple Freeze-Thaw Cycles. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2020; 10:4505-4512. [PMID: 33033066 PMCID: PMC7718750 DOI: 10.1534/g3.120.401825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Ultracold preservation is widely used for storage of genetic stocks of Caenorhabditis elegans. Current cryopreservation protocols are vulnerable to refrigeration failures, which can result in the loss of stock viability due to damage during re-freezing. Here we present a method for preserving worms in a dehydrated and frozen form that retains viability after multiple freeze-thaw cycles. After dehydration in the presence of trehalose or glycerol, C. elegans stocks can be frozen and thawed multiple times while maintaining viability. While both dauer and non-dauer larvae survive desiccation and freezing, the dauer defective mutant daf-16 does not survive desiccation. Our technique is useful for storing stocks in a manner robust to freezer failures, and potentially for shipping strains between laboratories.
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18
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Urso SJ, Comly M, Hanover JA, Lamitina T. The O-GlcNAc transferase OGT is a conserved and essential regulator of the cellular and organismal response to hypertonic stress. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1008821. [PMID: 33006972 PMCID: PMC7556452 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The conserved O-GlcNAc transferase OGT O-GlcNAcylates serine and threonine residues of intracellular proteins to regulate their function. OGT is required for viability in mammalian cells, but its specific roles in cellular physiology are poorly understood. Here we describe a conserved requirement for OGT in an essential aspect of cell physiology: the hypertonic stress response. Through a forward genetic screen in Caenorhabditis elegans, we discovered OGT is acutely required for osmoprotective protein expression and adaptation to hypertonic stress. Gene expression analysis shows that ogt-1 functions through a post-transcriptional mechanism. Human OGT partially rescues the C. elegans phenotypes, suggesting that the osmoregulatory functions of OGT are ancient. Intriguingly, expression of O-GlcNAcylation-deficient forms of human or worm OGT rescue the hypertonic stress response phenotype. However, expression of an OGT protein lacking the tetracopeptide repeat (TPR) domain does not rescue. Our findings are among the first to demonstrate a specific physiological role for OGT at the organismal level and demonstrate that OGT engages in important molecular functions outside of its well described roles in post-translational O-GlcNAcylation of intracellular proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarel J. Urso
- Graduate Program in Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Marcella Comly
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - John A. Hanover
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Todd Lamitina
- Graduate Program in Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
- Division of Child Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
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19
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Gade VR, Traikov S, Oertel J, Fahmy K, Kurzchalia TV. C. elegans possess a general program to enter cryptobiosis that allows dauer larvae to survive different kinds of abiotic stress. Sci Rep 2020; 10:13466. [PMID: 32778668 PMCID: PMC7417548 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70311-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
All organisms encounter abiotic stress but only certain organisms are able to cope with extreme conditions and enter into cryptobiosis (hidden life). Previously, we have shown that C. elegans dauer larvae can survive severe desiccation (anhydrobiosis), a specific form of cryptobiosis. Entry into anhydrobiosis is preceded by activation of a set of biochemical pathways by exposure to mild desiccation. This process called preconditioning induces elevation of trehalose, intrinsically disordered proteins, polyamines and some other pathways that allow the preservation of cellular functionality in the absence of water. Here, we demonstrate that another stress factor, high osmolarity, activates similar biochemical pathways. The larvae that acquired resistance to high osmotic pressure can also withstand desiccation. In addition, high osmolarity significantly increases the biosynthesis of glycerol making larva tolerant to freezing. Thus, to survive abiotic stress, C. elegans activates a combination of genetic and biochemical pathways that serve as a general survival program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vamshidhar R Gade
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Sofia Traikov
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jana Oertel
- Institute of Resource Ecology at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
| | - Karim Fahmy
- Institute of Resource Ecology at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
| | - Teymuras V Kurzchalia
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
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20
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Dues DJ, Andrews EK, Senchuk MM, Van Raamsdonk JM. Resistance to Stress Can Be Experimentally Dissociated From Longevity. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2020; 74:1206-1214. [PMID: 30247515 PMCID: PMC6625593 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/gly213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
On the basis of multiple experiments demonstrating that high resistance to stress is associated with long lifespan, it has been proposed that stress resistance is a key determinant of longevity. However, the extent to which high resistance to stress is necessary or sufficient for long life is currently unclear. In this work, we use a genetic approach to disrupt different stress response pathways and examine the resulting effect on the longevity of the long-lived insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) receptor mutant daf-2. Although mutation of the heat shock factor gene hsf-1, deletion of sod genes, deletion of the p38 MAPK kinase gene pmk-1, or deletion of the transcription factor gene egl-27 all resulted in decreased resistance to at least one form of stress and decreased lifespan, the magnitude of change in stress resistance did not correspond to the magnitude of change in lifespan. In addition, we found that deletion of the glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase genes gpdh-1 and gpdh-2 or deletion of the DAF-16 cofactor gene nhl-1 also results in decreased resistance to at least one form of stress but increases lifespan. Overall, our results suggest that while increased stress resistance is associated with longevity, stress resistance, and lifespan can be experimentally dissociated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan J Dues
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan
| | - Emily K Andrews
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan
| | - Megan M Senchuk
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan
| | - Jeremy M Van Raamsdonk
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan.,Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.,Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program.,Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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21
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Machiela E, Liontis T, Dues DJ, Rudich PD, Traa A, Wyman L, Kaufman C, Cooper JF, Lew L, Nadarajan S, Senchuk MM, Van Raamsdonk JM. Disruption of mitochondrial dynamics increases stress resistance through activation of multiple stress response pathways. FASEB J 2020; 34:8475-8492. [PMID: 32385951 PMCID: PMC7313680 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201903235r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 04/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that can change shape and size depending on the needs of the cell through the processes of mitochondrial fission and fusion. In this work, we investigated the role of mitochondrial dynamics in organismal stress response. By using C. elegans as a genetic model, we could visualize mitochondrial morphology in a live organism with well‐established stress assays and well‐characterized stress response pathways. We found that disrupting mitochondrial fission (DRP1/drp‐1) or fusion (OPA1/eat‐3, MFN/fzo‐1) genes caused alterations in mitochondrial morphology that impacted both mitochondrial function and physiologic rates. While both mitochondrial fission and mitochondrial fusion mutants showed increased sensitivity to osmotic stress and anoxia, surprisingly we found that the mitochondrial fusion mutants eat‐3 and fzo‐1 are more resistant to both heat stress and oxidative stress. In exploring the mechanism of increased stress resistance, we found that disruption of mitochondrial fusion genes resulted in the upregulation of multiple stress response pathways. Overall, this work demonstrates that disrupting mitochondrial dynamics can have opposite effects on resistance to different types of stress. Our results suggest that disruption of mitochondrial fusion activates multiple stress response pathways that enhance resistance to specific stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Machiela
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Thomas Liontis
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program, and Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Dylan J Dues
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Paige D Rudich
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program, and Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Annika Traa
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program, and Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Leslie Wyman
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Corah Kaufman
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Jason F Cooper
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Leira Lew
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | | | - Megan M Senchuk
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Jeremy M Van Raamsdonk
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA.,Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program, and Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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22
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Baris Atakan H, Alkanat T, Cornaglia M, Trouillon R, Gijs MAM. Automated phenotyping of Caenorhabditis elegans embryos with a high-throughput-screening microfluidic platform. MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2020; 6:24. [PMID: 34567639 PMCID: PMC8433184 DOI: 10.1038/s41378-020-0132-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been extensively used as a model multicellular organism to study the influence of osmotic stress conditions and the toxicity of chemical compounds on developmental and motility-associated phenotypes. However, the several-day culture of nematodes needed for such studies has caused researchers to explore alternatives. In particular, C. elegans embryos, due to their shorter developmental time and immobile nature, could be exploited for this purpose, although usually their harvesting and handling is tedious. Here, we present a multiplexed, high-throughput and automated embryo phenotyping microfluidic approach to observe C. elegans embryogenesis after the application of different chemical compounds. After performing experiments with up to 800 embryos per chip and up to 12 h of time-lapsed imaging per embryo, the individual phenotypic developmental data were collected and analyzed through machine learning and image processing approaches. Our proof-of-concept platform indicates developmental lag and the induction of mitochondrial stress in embryos exposed to high doses (200 mM) of glucose and NaCl, while small doses of sucrose and glucose were shown to accelerate development. Overall, our new technique has potential for use in large-scale developmental biology studies and opens new avenues for very rapid high-throughput and high-content screening using C. elegans embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huseyin Baris Atakan
- Laboratory of Microsystems, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Tunc Alkanat
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Matteo Cornaglia
- Laboratory of Microsystems, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Raphaël Trouillon
- Laboratory of Microsystems, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Martin A M Gijs
- Laboratory of Microsystems, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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23
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Scolaro G, Bridges K, Curry S, Jacobson S, LoPresti M, Pappas K, Ramirez N, Savigne L, Sherman S, Upshaw K, Walsh E, Choe K. Increased expression of pgph-1, T23F2.4, and cyp-14A5 in C. elegans dpy-7 mutants and by high salt. MICROPUBLICATION BIOLOGY 2019; 2019. [PMID: 32550434 PMCID: PMC7252310 DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle Scolaro
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Kelsey Bridges
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Shayla Curry
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Stephanie Jacobson
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Marissa LoPresti
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Katina Pappas
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Nicolas Ramirez
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Lindsay Savigne
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Sarah Sherman
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Katherine Upshaw
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Erin Walsh
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Keith Choe
- Department of Biology and Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
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Ma G, Jiang A, Luo Y, Luo Y, Huang H, Zhou R. Aquaporin 1 is located on the intestinal basolateral membrane in Toxocara canis and might play a role in drug uptake. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:243. [PMID: 31101125 PMCID: PMC6525457 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3500-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of integral membrane channel proteins that facilitate the transport of water and other small solutes across cell membranes. AQPs appear to play crucial roles in parasite survival and represent possible drug targets for novel intervention strategy. In this work, we investigated the tissue distribution and biological roles of an aquaporin TcAQP1 in the neglected parasitic nematode Toxocara canis. Methods Recombinant C-terminal hydrophilic domain of AQP1 of T. canis (rTcAQP1c) and polyclonal antibody against rTcAQP1c were produced to analyse the tissue expression of native TcAQP1 in adult (female and male) worms using an immunohistochemical approach. RNA interference (RNAi), quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and nematocidal assays were performed to investigate the functional roles of TcAQP1 in the adult stage of T. canis. Results Immunofluorescence analysis showed that TcAQP1 was localised predominantly in the epithelial linings of the reproductive tract and basolateral membrane of the intestine in the adult stage (female and male) of T. canis, indicating important roles in reproduction, nutrient absorption and/or osmoregulation. Treatment with silencing RNA for 24 h resulted in a significant reduction of Tc-aqp-1 mRNA level in adult T. canis, though no phenotypical change was observed. The efficient gene knockdown compromised the nematocidal activity of albendazole in vitro, suggesting the role of TcAQP1 in drug uptake. Conclusions The findings of this study provide important information about tissue expression and functional roles of TcAQP1 protein in adult T. canis. Understanding the biological functions of this protein in other developmental stages of T. canis and related parasitic nematodes would contribute to the discovery of novel diagnostic or anthelmintic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangxu Ma
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science, Southwest University, Chongqing, 402460, The People's Republic of China.,Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Aiyun Jiang
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science, Southwest University, Chongqing, 402460, The People's Republic of China
| | - Yongfang Luo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science, Southwest University, Chongqing, 402460, The People's Republic of China
| | - Yongli Luo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science, Southwest University, Chongqing, 402460, The People's Republic of China
| | - Hancheng Huang
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science, Southwest University, Chongqing, 402460, The People's Republic of China
| | - Rongqiong Zhou
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science, Southwest University, Chongqing, 402460, The People's Republic of China.
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25
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Shin H, Braendle C, Monahan KB, Kaplan REW, Zand TP, Mote FS, Peters EC, Reiner DJ. Developmental fidelity is imposed by genetically separable RalGEF activities that mediate opposing signals. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1008056. [PMID: 31086367 PMCID: PMC6534338 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The six C. elegans vulval precursor cells (VPCs) are induced to form the 3°-3°-2°-1°-2°-3° pattern of cell fates with high fidelity. In response to EGF signal, the LET-60/Ras-LIN-45/Raf-MEK-2/MEK-MPK-1/ERK canonical MAP kinase cascade is necessary to induce 1° fate and synthesis of DSL ligands for the lateral Notch signal. In turn, LIN-12/Notch receptor is necessary to induce neighboring cells to become 2°. We previously showed that, in response to graded EGF signal, the modulatory LET-60/Ras-RGL-1/RalGEF-RAL-1/Ral signal promotes 2° fate in support of LIN-12. In this study, we identify two key differences between RGL-1 and RAL-1. First, deletion of RGL-1 confers no overt developmental defects, while previous studies showed RAL-1 to be essential for viability and fertility. From this observation, we hypothesize that the essential functions of RAL-1 are independent of upstream activation. Second, RGL-1 plays opposing and genetically separable roles in VPC fate patterning. RGL-1 promotes 2° fate via canonical GEF-dependent activation of RAL-1. Conversely, RGL-1 promotes 1° fate via a non-canonical GEF-independent activity. Our genetic epistasis experiments are consistent with RGL-1 functioning in the modulatory 1°-promoting AGE-1/PI3-Kinase-PDK-1-AKT-1 cascade. Additionally, animals lacking RGL-1 experience 15-fold higher rates of VPC patterning errors compared to the wild type. Yet VPC patterning in RGL-1 deletion mutants is not more sensitive to environmental perturbations. We propose that RGL-1 functions to orchestrate opposing 1°- and 2°-promoting modulatory cascades to decrease developmental stochasticity. We speculate that such switches are broadly conserved but mostly masked by paralog redundancy or essential functions. Developmental signals are increasingly conceptualized in the context of networks rather than linear pathways. Patterning of C. elegans vulval fates is mostly governed by two major signaling cascades that operate antagonistically to induce two cell identities. An additional pair of minor cascades support each of the major cascades. All components in this system are conserved in mammalian oncogenic signaling networks. We find that RGL-1, a component of one of the minor cascades, performs two antagonistic functions. Its deletion appears to abolish both opposing modulatory signals, resulting in a 15-fold increase in the basal error rate in development of these cells. We hypothesize that the bifunctional RGL-1 protein defines a novel mechanism by which signaling networks are interwoven to mitigate developmental errors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Shin
- Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | | | - Kimberly B Monahan
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Rebecca E W Kaplan
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Tanya P Zand
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America.,Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Francisca Sefakor Mote
- Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - Eldon C Peters
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - David J Reiner
- Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, United States of America.,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America.,Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
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26
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Banse SA, Blue BW, Robinson KJ, Jarrett CM, Phillips PC. The Stress-Chip: A microfluidic platform for stress analysis in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216283. [PMID: 31042764 PMCID: PMC6493750 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
An organism's ability to mount a physiological response to external stressors is fundamental to its interaction with the environment. Experimental exploration of these interactions benefits greatly from the ability to maintain tight control of the environment, even under conditions in which it would be normal for the subject to flee the stressor. Here we present a nematode research platform that pairs automated image acquisition and analysis with a custom microfluidic device. This platform enables tight environmental control in low-density, single-worm arenas, which preclude animal escape while still allowing a broad range of behavioral activities. The platform is easily scalable, with two 50 arena arrays per chip and an imaging capacity of 600 animals per scanning device. Validating the device using dietary, osmotic, and oxidative stress indicates that it should be of broad use as a research platform, including eventual adaptation for additional stressors, anthelmintic-drug screening, and toxicology studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen A. Banse
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Benjamin W. Blue
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Kristin J. Robinson
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Cody M. Jarrett
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Patrick C. Phillips
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
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27
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Kudumala S, Sossi S, Carvelli L. Swimming Induced Paralysis to Assess Dopamine Signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Vis Exp 2019. [PMID: 31009010 DOI: 10.3791/59243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The swimming assay described in this protocol is a valid tool to identify proteins regulating the dopaminergic synapses. Similar to mammals, dopamine (DA) controls several functions in C. elegans including learning and motor activity. Conditions that stimulate DA release (e.g., amphetamine (AMPH) treatments) or that prevent DA clearance (e.g., animals lacking the DA transporter (dat-1) which are incapable of reaccumulating DA into the neurons) generate an excess of extracellular DA ultimately resulting in inhibited locomotion. This behavior is particularly evident when animals swim in water. In fact, while wild-type animals continue to swim for an extended period, dat-1 null mutants and wild-type treated with AMPH or inhibitors of the DA transporter sink to the bottom of the well and do not move. This behavior is termed "Swimming Induced Paralysis" (SWIP). Although the SWIP assay is well established, a detailed description of the method is lacking. Here, we describe a step-by-step guide to perform SWIP. To perform the assay, late larval stage-4 animals are placed in a glass spot plate containing control sucrose solution with or without AMPH. Animals are scored for their swimming behavior either manually by visualization under a stereoscope or automatically by recording with a camera mounted on the stereoscope. Videos are then analyzed using a tracking software, which yields a visual representation of thrashing frequency and paralysis in the form of heat maps. Both the manual and automated systems guarantee an easily quantifiable readout of the animals' swimming ability and thus facilitate screening for animals bearing mutations within the dopaminergic system or for auxiliary genes. In addition, SWIP can be used to elucidate the mechanism of action of drugs of abuse such as AMPH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sirisha Kudumala
- Harriet Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, John D MacArthur Campus
| | - Serena Sossi
- Integrative Biology and Neuroscience program, College of Science, Florida Atlantic University
| | - Lucia Carvelli
- Harriet Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, John D MacArthur Campus; Brain Institute, Florida Atlantic University; Department of Biomedical Science, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University;
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28
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Burton NO, Dwivedi VK, Burkhart KB, Kaplan REW, Baugh LR, Horvitz HR. Neurohormonal signaling via a sulfotransferase antagonizes insulin-like signaling to regulate a Caenorhabditis elegans stress response. Nat Commun 2018; 9:5152. [PMID: 30514845 PMCID: PMC6279808 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07640-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Insulin and insulin-like signaling regulates a broad spectrum of growth and metabolic responses to a variety of internal and environmental stimuli. For example, the inhibition of insulin-like signaling in C. elegans mediates its response to both osmotic stress and starvation. We report that in response to osmotic stress the cytosolic sulfotransferase SSU-1 antagonizes insulin-like signaling and promotes developmental arrest. Both SSU-1 and the DAF-16 FOXO transcription factor, which is activated when insulin signaling is low, are needed to drive specific responses to reduced insulin-like signaling. We demonstrate that SSU-1 functions in a single pair of sensory neurons to control intercellular signaling via the nuclear hormone receptor NHR-1 and promote both the specific transcriptional response to osmotic stress and altered lysophosphatidylcholine metabolism. Our results show the requirement of a sulfotransferase-nuclear hormone receptor neurohormonal signaling pathway for some but not all consequences of reduced insulin-like signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas O Burton
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, UK.
| | - Vivek K Dwivedi
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Kirk B Burkhart
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | | | - L Ryan Baugh
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - H Robert Horvitz
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
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29
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Yuan P, Pan LY, Xiong LG, Tong JW, Li J, Huang JA, Gong YS, Liu ZH. Black tea increases hypertonic stress resistance in C. elegans. Food Funct 2018; 9:3798-3806. [PMID: 29932178 DOI: 10.1039/c7fo02017a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Here we identified that BTE (black tea extract), within the studied concentration range, is more effective than GTE (green tea extract) in protecting C. elegans against hypertonic stress, by enhancing survival after exposure to various salts, and alleviating suffered motility loss and body shrinkage. The mechanism of such protection may be due to the ability of black tea to induce the conserved WNK/GCK signaling pathway and down-regulation of the expression levels of nlp-29. Intriguingly, black tea does not relieve hypertonicity-induced protein damage. The findings implicate the potential health benefits of black tea consumed worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei Yuan
- National Research Center of Engineering Technology for Utilization of Functional Ingredients from Botanicals, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan 410128, China.
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30
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Rapid and gentle hydrogel encapsulation of living organisms enables long-term microscopy over multiple hours. Commun Biol 2018; 1:73. [PMID: 30271954 PMCID: PMC6123791 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0079-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Imaging living organisms at high spatial resolution requires effective and innocuous immobilization. Long-term imaging places further demands on sample mounting with minimal perturbation of the organism. Here we present a simple, inexpensive method for rapid encapsulation of small animals of any developmental stage within a photo-crosslinked polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel, gently restricting movement within their confined spaces. Immobilized animals maintain their original morphology in a hydrated environment compatible with chemical treatment, optical stimulation, and light-sheet microscopy. We demonstrate prolonged three-dimensional imaging of neural responses in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, recovery of viable organisms after 24 h, and imaging of larger squid hatchlings. We characterize a range of hydrogel and illumination conditions for immobilization quality, and identify paralytic-free conditions suitable for high-resolution single-cell imaging. Overall, PEG hydrogel encapsulation provides fast, versatile, and gentle mounting of small living organisms, from yeast to zebrafish, for continuous observation over hours. Kyra Burnett et al. present a simple and economical method to encapsulate small living organisms for long-term microscopy in a photo-crosslinked polyethylene glycol hydrogel. This method provides a fast and gentle mounting for continuous imaging over hours, and works with light-sheet microscopy and optogenetic stimulation.
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31
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Vieira N, Bessa C, Rodrigues AJ, Marques P, Chan FY, de Carvalho AX, Correia-Neves M, Sousa N. Sorting nexin 3 mutation impairs development and neuronal function in Caenorhabditis elegans. Cell Mol Life Sci 2018; 75:2027-2044. [PMID: 29196797 PMCID: PMC11105199 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-017-2719-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Revised: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The sorting nexins family of proteins (SNXs) plays pleiotropic functions in protein trafficking and intracellular signaling and has been associated with several disorders, namely Alzheimer's disease and Down's syndrome. Despite the growing association of SNXs with neurodegeneration, not much is known about their function in the nervous system. The aim of this work was to use the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans that encodes in its genome eight SNXs orthologs, to dissect the role of distinct SNXs, particularly in the nervous system. By screening the C. elegans SNXs deletion mutants for morphological, developmental and behavioral alterations, we show here that snx-3 gene mutation leads to an array of developmental defects, such as delayed hatching, decreased brood size and life span and reduced body length. Additionally, ∆snx-3 worms present increased susceptibility to osmotic, thermo and oxidative stress and distinct behavioral deficits, namely, a chemotaxis defect which is independent of the described snx-3 role in Wnt secretion. ∆snx-3 animals also display abnormal GABAergic neuronal architecture and wiring and altered AIY interneuron structure. Pan-neuronal expression of C. elegans snx-3 cDNA in the ∆snx-3 mutant is able to rescue its locomotion defects, as well as its chemotaxis toward isoamyl alcohol. Altogether, the present work provides the first in vivo evidence of the SNX-3 role in the nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neide Vieira
- School of Medicine, Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Carlos Bessa
- School of Medicine, Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana J Rodrigues
- School of Medicine, Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Paulo Marques
- School of Medicine, Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Fung-Yi Chan
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular-IBMC, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Xavier de Carvalho
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular-IBMC, Porto, Portugal
| | - Margarida Correia-Neves
- School of Medicine, Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- School of Medicine, Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal.
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
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32
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A Damage Sensor Associated with the Cuticle Coordinates Three Core Environmental Stress Responses in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2018; 208:1467-1482. [PMID: 29487136 PMCID: PMC5887142 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.118.300827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Although extracellular matrices function as protective barriers to many types of environmental insult, their role in sensing stress and regulating adaptive gene induction responses has not been studied carefully... Extracellular matrix barriers and inducible cytoprotective genes form successive lines of defense against chemical and microbial environmental stressors. The barrier in nematodes is a collagenous extracellular matrix called the cuticle. In Caenorhabditis elegans, disruption of some cuticle collagen genes activates osmolyte and antimicrobial response genes. Physical damage to the epidermis also activates antimicrobial responses. Here, we assayed the effect of knocking down genes required for cuticle and epidermal integrity on diverse cellular stress responses. We found that disruption of specific bands of collagen, called annular furrows, coactivates detoxification, hyperosmotic, and antimicrobial response genes, but not other stress responses. Disruption of other cuticle structures and epidermal integrity does not have the same effect. Several transcription factors act downstream of furrow loss. SKN-1/Nrf and ELT-3/GATA are required for detoxification, SKN-1/Nrf is partially required for the osmolyte response, and STA-2/Stat and ELT-3/GATA for antimicrobial gene expression. Our results are consistent with a cuticle-associated damage sensor that coordinates detoxification, hyperosmotic, and antimicrobial responses through overlapping, but distinct, downstream signaling.
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33
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Pomatto LCD, Davies KJA. The role of declining adaptive homeostasis in ageing. J Physiol 2017; 595:7275-7309. [PMID: 29028112 PMCID: PMC5730851 DOI: 10.1113/jp275072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive homeostasis is "the transient expansion or contraction of the homeostatic range for any given physiological parameter in response to exposure to sub-toxic, non-damaging, signalling molecules or events, or the removal or cessation of such molecules or events" (Davies, 2016). Adaptive homeostasis enables biological systems to make continuous short-term adjustments for optimal functioning despite ever-changing internal and external environments. Initiation of adaptation in response to an appropriate signal allows organisms to successfully cope with much greater, normally toxic, stresses. These short-term responses are initiated following effective signals, including hypoxia, cold shock, heat shock, oxidative stress, exercise-induced adaptation, caloric restriction, osmotic stress, mechanical stress, immune response, and even emotional stress. There is now substantial literature detailing a decline in adaptive homeostasis that, unfortunately, appears to manifest with ageing, especially in the last third of the lifespan. In this review, we present the hypothesis that one hallmark of the ageing process is a significant decline in adaptive homeostasis capacity. We discuss the mechanistic importance of diminished capacity for short-term (reversible) adaptive responses (both biochemical and signal transduction/gene expression-based) to changing internal and external conditions, for short-term survival and for lifespan and healthspan. Studies of cultured mammalian cells, worms, flies, rodents, simians, apes, and even humans, all indicate declining adaptive homeostasis as a potential contributor to age-dependent senescence, increased risk of disease, and even mortality. Emerging work points to Nrf2-Keap1 signal transduction pathway inhibitors, including Bach1 and c-Myc, both of whose tissue concentrations increase with age, as possible major causes for age-dependent loss of adaptive homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura C. D. Pomatto
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology of the Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology CenterUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCA 90089USA
| | - Kelvin J. A. Davies
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology of the Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology CenterUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCA 90089USA
- Molecular and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biological Sciences of the Dornsife College of LettersArts & Sciences: the University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCA 90089‐0191USA
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34
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Dues DJ, Andrews EK, Schaar CE, Bergsma AL, Senchuk MM, Van Raamsdonk JM. Aging causes decreased resistance to multiple stresses and a failure to activate specific stress response pathways. Aging (Albany NY) 2017; 8:777-95. [PMID: 27053445 PMCID: PMC4925828 DOI: 10.18632/aging.100939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2015] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In this work, we examine the relationship between stress resistance and aging. We find that resistance to multiple types of stress peaks during early adulthood and then declines with age. To dissect the underlying mechanisms, we use C. elegans transcriptional reporter strains that measure the activation of different stress responses including: the heat shock response, mitochondrial unfolded protein response, endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response, hypoxia response, SKN-1-mediated oxidative stress response, and the DAF-16-mediated stress response. We find that the decline in stress resistance with age is at least partially due to a decreased ability to activate protective mechanisms in response to stress. In contrast, we find that any baseline increase in stress caused by the advancing age is too mild to detectably upregulate any of the stress response pathways. Further exploration of how worms respond to stress with increasing age revealed that the ability to mount a hormetic response to heat stress is also lost with increasing age. Overall, this work demonstrates that resistance to all types of stress declines with age. Based on our data, we speculate that the decrease in stress resistance with advancing age results from a genetically-programmed inactivation of stress response pathways, not accumulation of damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan J Dues
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Emily K Andrews
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Claire E Schaar
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Alexis L Bergsma
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Megan M Senchuk
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Jeremy M Van Raamsdonk
- Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease, Center for Neurodegenerative Science, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA.,Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA.,Department of Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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35
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Dutilleul M, Réale D, Goussen B, Lecomte C, Galas S, Bonzom J. Adaptation costs to constant and alternating polluted environments. Evol Appl 2017; 10:839-851. [PMID: 29151875 PMCID: PMC5680423 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Some populations quickly adapt to strong and novel selection pressures caused by anthropogenic stressors. However, this short-term evolutionary response to novel and harsh environmental conditions may lead to adaptation costs, and evaluating these costs is important if we want to understand the evolution of resistance to anthropogenic stressors. In this experimental evolution study, we exposed Caenorhabditis elegans populations to uranium (U populations), salt (NaCl populations) and alternating uranium/salt treatments (U/NaCl populations) and to a control environment (C populations), over 22 generations. In parallel, we ran common-garden and reciprocal-transplant experiments to assess the adaptive costs for populations that have evolved in the different environmental conditions. Our results showed rapid evolutionary changes in life history characteristics of populations exposed to the different pollution regimes. Furthermore, adaptive costs depended on the type of pollutant: pollution-adapted populations had lower fitness than C populations, when the populations were returned to their original environment. Fitness in uranium environments was lower for NaCl populations than for U populations. In contrast, fitness in salt environments was similar between U and NaCl populations. Moreover, fitness of U/NaCl populations showed similar or higher fitness in both the uranium and the salt environments compared to populations adapted to constant uranium or salt environments. Our results show that adaptive evolution to a particular stressor can lead to either adaptive costs or benefits once in contact with another stressor. Furthermore, we did not find any evidence that adaptation to alternating stressors was associated with additional adaption costs. This study highlights the need to incorporate adaptive cost assessments when undertaking ecological risk assessments of pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Dutilleul
- Laboratoire d’écotoxicologie des radionucléidesInstitut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, CadaracheSaint‐Paul‐lez‐Durance CedexFrance
- Département des Sciences BiologiquesUniversité du Québec À MontréalMontréalQCCanada
- Faculté de pharmacieLaboratoire de ToxicologieUniversité de Montpellier 1Montpellier Cedex 5France
- Present address:
Environment DepartmentUniversity of YorkHeslingtonYorkUK
| | - Denis Réale
- Département des Sciences BiologiquesUniversité du Québec À MontréalMontréalQCCanada
| | - Benoit Goussen
- Laboratoire d’écotoxicologie des radionucléidesInstitut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, CadaracheSaint‐Paul‐lez‐Durance CedexFrance
- Unit “Models for ecotoxicology and toxicology” (METO) INERIS Parc ALATAVerneuil‐en‐HalatteFrance
- Present address:
Environment DepartmentUniversity of YorkHeslingtonYorkUK
- Present address:
Safety and Environmental Assurance CentreUnileverSharnbrookBedfordshireUK
| | - Catherine Lecomte
- Laboratoire d’écotoxicologie des radionucléidesInstitut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, CadaracheSaint‐Paul‐lez‐Durance CedexFrance
| | - Simon Galas
- Faculté de pharmacieLaboratoire de ToxicologieUniversité de Montpellier 1Montpellier Cedex 5France
| | - Jean‐Marc Bonzom
- Laboratoire d’écotoxicologie des radionucléidesInstitut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, CadaracheSaint‐Paul‐lez‐Durance CedexFrance
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36
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Igual Gil C, Jarius M, von Kries JP, Rohlfing AK. Neuronal Chemosensation and Osmotic Stress Response Converge in the Regulation of aqp-8 in C. elegans. Front Physiol 2017. [PMID: 28649202 PMCID: PMC5465262 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Aquaporins occupy an essential role in sustaining the salt/water balance in various cells types and tissues. Here, we present new insights into aqp-8 expression and regulation in Caenorhabditis elegans. We show, that upon exposure to osmotic stress, aqp-8 exhibits a distinct expression pattern within the excretory cell compared to other C. elegans aquaporins expressed. This expression is correlated to the osmolarity of the surrounding medium and can be activated physiologically by osmotic stress or genetically in mutants with constitutively active osmotic stress response. In addition, we found aqp-8 expression to be constitutively active in the TRPV channel mutant osm-9(ok1677). In a genome-wide RNAi screen we identified additional regulators of aqp-8. Many of these regulators are connected to chemosensation by the amphid neurons, e.g., odr-10 and gpa-6, and act as suppressors of aqp-8 expression. We postulate from our results, that aqp-8 plays an important role in sustaining the salt/water balance during a secondary response to hyper-osmotic stress. Upon its activation aqp-8 promotes vesicle docking to the lumen of the excretory cell and thereby enhances the ability to secrete water and transport osmotic active substances or waste products caused by protein damage. In summary, aqp-8 expression and function is tightly regulated by a network consisting of the osmotic stress response, neuronal chemosensation as well as the response to protein damage. These new insights in maintaining the salt/water balance in C. elegans will help to reveal the complex homeostasis network preserved throughout species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Igual Gil
- Zoophysiology, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University PotsdamPotsdam, Germany
| | - Mirko Jarius
- Zoophysiology, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University PotsdamPotsdam, Germany
| | - Jens P von Kries
- Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP)Berlin, Germany
| | - Anne-Katrin Rohlfing
- Zoophysiology, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University PotsdamPotsdam, Germany
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37
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Teotónio H, Estes S, Phillips PC, Baer CF. Experimental Evolution with Caenorhabditis Nematodes. Genetics 2017; 206:691-716. [PMID: 28592504 PMCID: PMC5499180 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.115.186288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The hermaphroditic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been one of the primary model systems in biology since the 1970s, but only within the last two decades has this nematode also become a useful model for experimental evolution. Here, we outline the goals and major foci of experimental evolution with C. elegans and related species, such as C. briggsae and C. remanei, by discussing the principles of experimental design, and highlighting the strengths and limitations of Caenorhabditis as model systems. We then review three exemplars of Caenorhabditis experimental evolution studies, underlining representative evolution experiments that have addressed the: (1) maintenance of genetic variation; (2) role of natural selection during transitions from outcrossing to selfing, as well as the maintenance of mixed breeding modes during evolution; and (3) evolution of phenotypic plasticity and its role in adaptation to variable environments, including host-pathogen coevolution. We conclude by suggesting some future directions for which experimental evolution with Caenorhabditis would be particularly informative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrique Teotónio
- Institut de Biologie de l´École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1024, Centre Nationnal de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 8197, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Suzanne Estes
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Oregon 97201
| | - Patrick C Phillips
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, 5289 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, and
| | - Charles F Baer
- Department of Biology, and
- University of Florida Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
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38
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An Aversive Response to Osmotic Upshift in Caenorhabditis elegans. eNeuro 2017; 4:eN-NWR-0282-16. [PMID: 28451641 PMCID: PMC5399755 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0282-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Revised: 03/16/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental osmolarity presents a common type of sensory stimulus to animals. While behavioral responses to osmotic changes are important for maintaining a stable intracellular osmolarity, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In the natural habitat of Caenorhabditis elegans, changes in environmental osmolarity are commonplace. It is known that the nematode acutely avoids shocks of extremely high osmolarity. Here, we show that C. elegans also generates gradually increased aversion of mild upshifts in environmental osmolarity. Different from an acute avoidance of osmotic shocks that depends on the function of a transient receptor potential vanilloid channel, the slow aversion to osmotic upshifts requires the cGMP-gated sensory channel subunit TAX-2. TAX-2 acts in several sensory neurons that are exposed to body fluid to generate the aversive response through a motor network that underlies navigation. Osmotic upshifts activate the body cavity sensory neuron URX, which is known to induce aversion upon activation. Together, our results characterize the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying a novel sensorimotor response to osmotic stimuli and reveal that C. elegans engages different behaviors and the underlying mechanisms to regulate responses to extracellular osmolarity.
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Davis M, Montalbano A, Wood MP, Schisa JA. Biphasic adaptation to osmotic stress in the C. elegans germ line. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2017; 312:C741-C748. [PMID: 28381521 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00364.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Revised: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Cells respond to environmental stress in multiple ways. In the germ line, heat shock and nutritive stress trigger the assembly of large ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). The RNP granules are hypothesized to maintain the quality of oocytes during stress. The goal of this study was to investigate the cellular response to glucose in the germ line and determine if it is an osmotic stress response. We found that exposure to 500 mM glucose induces the assembly of RNP granules in the germ line within 1 h. Interestingly, the RNP granules are maintained for up to 3 h; however, they dissociate after longer periods of stress. The RNP granules include processing body and stress granule proteins, suggesting shared functions. Based on several lines of evidence, the germ line response to glucose largely appears to be an osmotic stress response, thus identifying osmotic stress as a trigger of LLPS. Although RNP granules are not maintained beyond 3 h of osmotic stress, the quality of oocytes does not appear to decrease after longer periods of stress, suggesting a secondary adaptation in the germ line. We used an indirect marker of glycerol and observed high levels after 5 and 20 h of glucose exposure. Moreover, in gpdh-1;gpdh-2 germ lines, glycerol levels are reduced concomitant with RNP granules being maintained for an extended period. We speculate that increased glycerol levels may function as a secondary osmoregulatory adaptive response in the germ line, following a primary response of RNP granule assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Davis
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan
| | - Andrea Montalbano
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan
| | - Megan P Wood
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan
| | - Jennifer A Schisa
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan
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Xu J, Jiang Y, Wan L, Wang Q, Huang Z, Liu Y, Wu Y, Chen Z, Liu X. Feeding recombinant E. coli with GST-mBmKTX fusion protein increases the fecundity and lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans. Peptides 2017; 89:1-8. [PMID: 28088444 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2017.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2016] [Revised: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Scorpion venom could be a useful treatment for a variety of diseases, such as cancer, epilepsy and analgesia. BmKTX is a polypeptide extracts from scorpion venom (PESV), which have attracted much attention from researchers in recent years. mBmKTX is a mutant polypeptide according to the amino acid sequence of BmKTX. We expressed it with the vector pGEX-4T-1 in Escherichia coli, and Caenorhabditis elegans were used as the animal model and fed with the strains. In this study, the expression of pGEX-mBmKTX was analyzed by SDS-PAGE, and GST-mBmKTX purified from pGEX-mBmKTX as a glutathione S-transferase (GST)-tagged fusion protein is approximately 30kDa. The secondary structure prediction shows that mBmKTX is mainly composed of approximately 13% β-sheet and 86% loop. A food clearance assay and brood size assay indicated that the worms fed pGEX-mBmKTX ate more and had greater fecundity than those fed the empty vector. A lifespan analysis demonstrated that mBmKTX could significantly prolong the lifespan of C. elegans, with an increase of 22.5% compared with the control. Behavioral assays confirmed that mBmKTX had no influence on the locomotion of C. elegans. In addition, microarray analysis and quantitative real-time PCR demonstrated that there are 320 differentially expressed genes, 182 of which are related to reproduction, growth and lifespan. In conclusion, the data suggested that mBmKTX has potential utility for increasing fecundity and animal survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Xu
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Yajie Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Lu Wan
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Zebo Huang
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China; Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, School of Biosciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yongmei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Yingliang Wu
- School of Life Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Zongyun Chen
- School of Life Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Xin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China.
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Burton NO, Furuta T, Webster AK, Kaplan REW, Baugh LR, Arur S, Horvitz HR. Insulin-like signalling to the maternal germline controls progeny response to osmotic stress. Nat Cell Biol 2017; 19:252-257. [PMID: 28166192 PMCID: PMC5332277 DOI: 10.1038/ncb3470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
In 1893 August Weismann proposed that information about the environment could not pass from somatic cells to germ cells, a hypothesis now known as the Weismann barrier. However, recent studies have indicated that parental exposure to environmental stress can modify progeny physiology and that parental stress can contribute to progeny disorders. The mechanisms regulating these phenomena are poorly understood. We report that the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can protect itself from osmotic stress by entering a state of arrested development and can protect its progeny from osmotic stress by increasing the expression of the glycerol biosynthetic enzyme GPDH-2 in progeny. Both of these protective mechanisms are regulated by insulin-like signalling: insulin-like signalling to the intestine regulates developmental arrest, while insulin-like signalling to the maternal germline regulates glycerol metabolism in progeny. Thus, there is a heritable link between insulin-like signalling to the maternal germline and progeny metabolism and gene expression. We speculate that analogous modulation of insulin-like signalling to the germline is responsible for effects of the maternal environment on human diseases that involve insulin signalling, such as obesity and type-2 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas O Burton
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Tokiko Furuta
- Department of Genetics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Amy K Webster
- Department of Biology Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - Rebecca E W Kaplan
- Department of Biology Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - L Ryan Baugh
- Department of Biology Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - Swathi Arur
- Department of Genetics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - H Robert Horvitz
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
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Martínez-Villarreal R, Garza-Romero TS, Moreno-Medina VR, Hernández-Delgado S, Mayek-Pérez N. [Biochemical basis of tolerance to osmotic stress in phytopathogenic fungus: The case of Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid.]. Rev Argent Microbiol 2016; 48:347-357. [PMID: 28341024 DOI: 10.1016/j.ram.2016.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Revised: 04/09/2016] [Accepted: 05/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Fungus Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid. is the causative agent of charcoal rot disease which causes significant yield losses in major crops such as maize, sorghum, soybean and common beans in Mexico. This fungus is a facultative parasite which shows broad ability to adapt itself to stressed environments where water deficits and/or high temperature stresses commonly occur. These environmental conditions are common for most cultivable lands throughout Mexico. Here we describe some basic facts related to the etiology and epidemiology of the fungus as well as to the importance of responses to stressed environments, particularly to water deficits, based on morphology and growth traits, as well as on physiology, biochemistry and pathogenicity of fungus M. phaseolina. To conclude, we show some perspectives related to future research into the genus, which emphasize the increasing need to improve the knowledge based on the application of both traditional and biotechnological tools in order to elucidate the mechanisms of resistance to environmental stress which can be extrapolated to other useful organisms to man.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tamar S Garza-Romero
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Reynosa, Tamaulipas, México
| | - Víctor R Moreno-Medina
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Reynosa, Tamaulipas, México
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Rivera-Ingraham GA, Nommick A, Blondeau-Bidet E, Ladurner P, Lignot JH. Salinity stress from the perspective of the energy-redox axis: Lessons from a marine intertidal flatworm. Redox Biol 2016; 10:53-64. [PMID: 27689738 PMCID: PMC5043416 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2016.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2016] [Revised: 09/20/2016] [Accepted: 09/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
In the context of global change, there is an urgent need for researchers in conservation physiology to understand the physiological mechanisms leading to the acquisition of stress acclimation phenotypes. Intertidal organisms continuously cope with drastic changes in their environmental conditions, making them outstanding models for the study of physiological acclimation. As the implementation of such processes usually comes at a high bioenergetic cost, a mitochondrial/oxidative stress approach emerges as the most relevant approach when seeking to analyze whole-animal responses. Here we use the intertidal flatworm Macrostomum lignano to analyze the bioenergetics of salinity acclimation and its consequences in terms of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species formation and physiological response to counteract redox imbalance. Measures of water fluxes and body volume suggest that M. lignano is a hyper-/iso-regulator. Higher salinities were revealed to be the most energetically expensive conditions, with an increase in mitochondrial density accompanied by increased respiration rates. Such modifications came at the price of enhanced superoxide anion production, likely associated with a high caspase 3 upregulation. These animals nevertheless managed to live at high levels of environmental salinity through the upregulation of several mitochondrial antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase. Contrarily, animals at low salinities decreased their respiration rates, reduced their activity and increased nitric oxide formation, suggesting a certain degree of metabolic arrest. A contradictory increase in dichlorofluorescein fluorescence and an upregulation of gluthathione-S-transferase pi 1 (GSTP1) expression were observed in these individuals. If animals at low salinity are indeed facing metabolic depression, the return to seawater may result in an oxidative burst. We hypothesize that this increase in GSTP1 could be a “preparation for oxidative stress”, i.e. a mechanism to counteract the production of free radicals upon returning to seawater. The results of the present study shed new light on how tolerant organisms carry out subcellular adaptations to withstand environmental change. High salinity induces O2·- formation while hypo-salinity increases DCF fluorescence. Hypersalinity is accompanied by upregulation of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD. Hyposalinity causes animals to go into a certain degree of metabolic arrest. Low salinity also causes GST-pi upregulation as a preparation for reoxygenation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgina A Rivera-Ingraham
- Groupe fonctionnel AEO (Adaptation Ecophysiologique et Ontogenèse), UMR 9190 MARBEC, University of Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier, France.
| | - Aude Nommick
- Groupe fonctionnel AEO (Adaptation Ecophysiologique et Ontogenèse), UMR 9190 MARBEC, University of Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Eva Blondeau-Bidet
- Groupe fonctionnel AEO (Adaptation Ecophysiologique et Ontogenèse), UMR 9190 MARBEC, University of Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Peter Ladurner
- Institute of Zoology and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Jehan-Hervé Lignot
- Groupe fonctionnel AEO (Adaptation Ecophysiologique et Ontogenèse), UMR 9190 MARBEC, University of Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier, France
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Hirani N, Westenberg M, Seed PT, Petalcorin MIR, Dolphin CT. C. elegans flavin-containing monooxygenase-4 is essential for osmoregulation in hypotonic stress. Biol Open 2016; 5:537-49. [PMID: 27010030 PMCID: PMC4874355 DOI: 10.1242/bio.017400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies in Caenorhabditis elegans have revealed osmoregulatory systems engaged when worms experience hypertonic conditions, but less is known about measures employed when faced with hypotonic stress. Inactivation of fmo-4, which encodes flavin-containing monooxygenase-4, results in dramatic hypoosmotic hypersensitivity; worms are unable to prevent overwhelming water influx and swell rapidly, finally rupturing due to high internal hydrostatic pressure. fmo-4 is expressed prominently in hypodermis, duct and pore cells but is excluded from the excretory cell. Thus, FMO-4 plays a crucial osmoregulatory role by promoting clearance of excess water that enters during hypotonicity, perhaps by synthesizing an osmolyte that acts to establish an osmotic gradient from excretory cell to duct and pore cells. C. elegans FMO-4 contains a C-terminal extension conserved in all nematode FMO-4s. The coincidently numbered human FMO4 also contains an extended C-terminus with features similar to those of FMO-4. Although these shared sequence characteristics suggest potential orthology, human FMO4 was unable to rescue the fmo-4 osmoregulatory defect. Intriguingly, however, mammalian FMO4 is expressed predominantly in the kidney - an appropriate site if it too is, or once was, involved in osmoregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nisha Hirani
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, UK
| | - Marcel Westenberg
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, UK
| | - Paul T Seed
- Division of Women's Health, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Mark I R Petalcorin
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, UK
| | - Colin T Dolphin
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, UK
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45
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Zugasti O, Thakur N, Belougne J, Squiban B, Kurz CL, Soulé J, Omi S, Tichit L, Pujol N, Ewbank JJ. A quantitative genome-wide RNAi screen in C. elegans for antifungal innate immunity genes. BMC Biol 2016; 14:35. [PMID: 27129311 PMCID: PMC4850687 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-016-0256-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Caenorhabditis elegans has emerged over the last decade as a useful model for the study of innate immunity. Its infection with the pathogenic fungus Drechmeria coniospora leads to the rapid up-regulation in the epidermis of genes encoding antimicrobial peptides. The molecular basis of antimicrobial peptide gene regulation has been previously characterized through forward genetic screens. Reverse genetics, based on RNAi, provide a complementary approach to dissect the worm's immune defenses. RESULTS We report here the full results of a quantitative whole-genome RNAi screen in C. elegans for genes involved in regulating antimicrobial peptide gene expression. The results will be a valuable resource for those contemplating similar RNAi-based screens and also reveal the limitations of such an approach. We present several strategies, including a comprehensive class clustering method, to overcome these limitations and which allowed us to characterize the different steps of the interaction between C. elegans and the fungus D. coniospora, leading to a complete description of the MAPK pathway central to innate immunity in C. elegans. The results further revealed a cross-tissue signaling, triggered by mitochondrial dysfunction in the intestine, that suppresses antimicrobial peptide gene expression in the nematode epidermis. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our results provide an unprecedented system's level insight into the regulation of C. elegans innate immunity. They represent a significant contribution to our understanding of host defenses and will lead to a better comprehension of the function and evolution of animal innate immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Zugasti
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Aix Marseille Université UM2, Inserm, U1104, CNRS UMR7280, 13288, Marseille, France
- Present address: Institut de Biologie du Développement de Marseille, CNRS, UMR6216, Case 907, Marseille, France
| | - Nishant Thakur
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Aix Marseille Université UM2, Inserm, U1104, CNRS UMR7280, 13288, Marseille, France
| | - Jérôme Belougne
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Aix Marseille Université UM2, Inserm, U1104, CNRS UMR7280, 13288, Marseille, France
| | - Barbara Squiban
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Aix Marseille Université UM2, Inserm, U1104, CNRS UMR7280, 13288, Marseille, France
- Present address: Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - C Léopold Kurz
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Aix Marseille Université UM2, Inserm, U1104, CNRS UMR7280, 13288, Marseille, France
- Present address: Institut de Biologie du Développement de Marseille, CNRS, UMR6216, Case 907, Marseille, France
| | - Julien Soulé
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Aix Marseille Université UM2, Inserm, U1104, CNRS UMR7280, 13288, Marseille, France
- Present address: Institut de Genomique Fonctionnelle, 141, rue de la Cardonille, 34094, Montpellier Cedex 05, France
| | - Shizue Omi
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Aix Marseille Université UM2, Inserm, U1104, CNRS UMR7280, 13288, Marseille, France
| | - Laurent Tichit
- Institut de Mathématiques de Marseille, Aix Marseille Université, I2M Centrale Marseille, CNRS UMR 7373, 13453, Marseille, France
| | - Nathalie Pujol
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Aix Marseille Université UM2, Inserm, U1104, CNRS UMR7280, 13288, Marseille, France.
| | - Jonathan J Ewbank
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Aix Marseille Université UM2, Inserm, U1104, CNRS UMR7280, 13288, Marseille, France.
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Lee EC, Kim H, Ditano J, Manion D, King BL, Strange K. Abnormal Osmotic Avoidance Behavior in C. elegans Is Associated with Increased Hypertonic Stress Resistance and Improved Proteostasis. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0154156. [PMID: 27111894 PMCID: PMC4844114 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2015] [Accepted: 04/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein function is controlled by the cellular proteostasis network. Proteostasis is energetically costly and those costs must be balanced with the energy needs of other physiological functions. Hypertonic stress causes widespread protein damage in C. elegans. Suppression and management of protein damage is essential for optimal survival under hypertonic conditions. ASH chemosensory neurons allow C. elegans to detect and avoid strongly hypertonic environments. We demonstrate that mutations in osm-9 and osm-12 that disrupt ASH mediated hypertonic avoidance behavior or genetic ablation of ASH neurons are associated with enhanced survival during hypertonic stress. Improved survival is not due to altered systemic volume homeostasis or organic osmolyte accumulation. Instead, we find that osm-9(ok1677) mutant and osm-9(RNAi) worms exhibit reductions in hypertonicity induced protein damage in non-neuronal cells suggesting that enhanced proteostasis capacity may account for improved hypertonic stress resistance in worms with defects in osmotic avoidance behavior. RNA-seq analysis revealed that genes that play roles in managing protein damage are upregulated in osm-9(ok1677) worms. Our findings are consistent with a growing body of work demonstrating that intercellular communication between neuronal and non-neuronal cells plays a critical role in integrating cellular stress resistance with other organismal physiological demands and associated energy costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine C. Lee
- MDI Biological Laboratory, Salisbury Cove, ME, 04672, United States of America
- University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, United States of America
| | - Heejung Kim
- MDI Biological Laboratory, Salisbury Cove, ME, 04672, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Ditano
- MDI Biological Laboratory, Salisbury Cove, ME, 04672, United States of America
| | - Dacie Manion
- MDI Biological Laboratory, Salisbury Cove, ME, 04672, United States of America
| | - Benjamin L. King
- MDI Biological Laboratory, Salisbury Cove, ME, 04672, United States of America
| | - Kevin Strange
- MDI Biological Laboratory, Salisbury Cove, ME, 04672, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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47
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Possik E, Pause A. Glycogen: A must have storage to survive stressful emergencies. WORM 2016; 5:e1156831. [PMID: 27383221 PMCID: PMC4911973 DOI: 10.1080/21624054.2016.1156831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Mechanisms of adaptation to acute changes in osmolarity are fundamental for life. When exposed to hyperosmotic stress, cells and organisms utilize conserved strategies to prevent water loss and maintain cellular integrity and viability. The production of glycerol is a common strategy utilized by the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) and many other organisms to survive hyperosmotic stress. Specifically, the transcriptional upregulation of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, a rate-limiting enzyme in the production of glycerol, has been previously implicated in many model organisms. However, what fuels this massive and rapid production of glycerol upon hyperosmotic stress has not been clearly elucidated. We have recently discovered an AMPK-dependent pathway that mediates hyperosmotic stress resistance in C. elegans. Specifically, we demonstrated that the chronic activation of AMPK leads to glycogen accumulation, which under hyperosmotic stress exposure, is rapidly degraded to mediate glycerol production. Importantly, we demonstrate that this strategy is utilized by flcn-1 mutant C. elegans nematodes in an AMPK-dependent manner. FLCN-1 is the worm homolog of the human renal tumor suppressor Folliculin (FLCN) responsible for the Birt-Hogg-Dubé neoplastic syndrome. Here, we comment on the dual role for glycogen in stress resistance: it serves as an energy store and a fuel for osmolyte production. We further discuss the potential utilization of this mechanism by organisms in general and by human cancer cells in order to survive harsh environmental conditions and notably hyperosmotic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elite Possik
- Goodman Cancer Research Center, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Arnim Pause
- Goodman Cancer Research Center, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Anderson EN, Corkins ME, Li JC, Singh K, Parsons S, Tucey TM, Sorkaç A, Huang H, Dimitriadi M, Sinclair DA, Hart AC. C. elegans lifespan extension by osmotic stress requires FUdR, base excision repair, FOXO, and sirtuins. Mech Ageing Dev 2016; 154:30-42. [PMID: 26854551 DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2016.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Revised: 01/08/2016] [Accepted: 01/22/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Moderate stress can increase lifespan by hormesis, a beneficial low-level induction of stress response pathways. 5'-fluorodeoxyuridine (FUdR) is commonly used to sterilize Caenorhabditis elegans in aging experiments. However, FUdR alters lifespan in some genotypes and induces resistance to thermal and proteotoxic stress. We report that hypertonic stress in combination with FUdR treatment or inhibition of the FUdR target thymidylate synthase, TYMS-1, extends C. elegans lifespan by up to 30%. By contrast, in the absence of FUdR, hypertonic stress decreases lifespan. Adaptation to hypertonic stress requires diminished Notch signaling and loss of Notch co-ligands leads to lifespan extension only in combination with FUdR. Either FUdR treatment or TYMS-1 loss induced resistance to acute hypertonic stress, anoxia, and thermal stress. FUdR treatment increased expression of DAF-16 FOXO and the osmolyte biosynthesis enzyme GPDH-1. FUdR-induced hypertonic stress resistance was partially dependent on sirtuins and base excision repair (BER) pathways, while FUdR-induced lifespan extension under hypertonic stress conditions requires DAF-16, BER, and sirtuin function. Combined, these results demonstrate that FUdR, through inhibition of TYMS-1, activates stress response pathways in somatic tissues to confer hormetic resistance to acute and chronic stress. C. elegans lifespan studies using FUdR may need re-interpretation in light of this work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward N Anderson
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
| | - Mark E Corkins
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
| | - Jia-Cheng Li
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
| | - Komudi Singh
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
| | - Sadé Parsons
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
| | - Tim M Tucey
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
| | - Altar Sorkaç
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
| | - Huiyan Huang
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
| | - Maria Dimitriadi
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
| | - David A Sinclair
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School and Glenn Labs for Aging Research, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Anne C Hart
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
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Depuydt G, Shanmugam N, Rasulova M, Dhondt I, Braeckman BP. Increased Protein Stability and Decreased Protein Turnover in the Caenorhabditis elegans Ins/IGF-1 daf-2 Mutant. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2016; 71:1553-1559. [PMID: 26865495 PMCID: PMC5106850 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glv221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In Caenorhabditis elegans, cellular proteostasis is likely essential for longevity. Autophagy has been shown to be essential for lifespan extension of daf-2 insulin/IGF mutants. Therefore, it can be hypothesized that daf-2 mutants achieve this phenotype by increasing protein turnover. However, such a mechanism would exert a substantial energy cost. By using classical 35S pulse-chase labeling, we observed that protein synthesis and degradation rates are decreased in young adults of the daf-2 insulin/IGF mutants. Although reduction of protein turnover may be energetically favorable, it may lead to accumulation and aggregation of damaged proteins. As this has been shown not to be the case in daf-2 mutants, another mechanism must exist to maintain proteostasis in this strain. We observed that proteins isolated from daf-2 mutants are more soluble in acidic conditions due to increased levels of trehalose. This suggests that trehalose may decrease the potential for protein aggregation and increases proteostasis in the daf-2 mutants. We postulate that daf-2 mutants save energy by decreasing protein turnover rates and instead stabilize their proteome by trehalose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geert Depuydt
- Laboratory for Aging Physiology and Molecular Evolution, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Belgium.,Laboratory for Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nilesh Shanmugam
- Laboratory for Aging Physiology and Molecular Evolution, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Madina Rasulova
- Laboratory for Aging Physiology and Molecular Evolution, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Ineke Dhondt
- Laboratory for Aging Physiology and Molecular Evolution, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Bart P Braeckman
- Laboratory for Aging Physiology and Molecular Evolution, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Belgium.
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50
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Allman E, Wang Q, Walker RL, Austen M, Peters MA, Nehrke K. Calcineurin homologous proteins regulate the membrane localization and activity of sodium/proton exchangers in C. elegans. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2015; 310:C233-42. [PMID: 26561640 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00291.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Calcineurin B homologous proteins (CHP) are N-myristoylated, EF-hand Ca(2+)-binding proteins that bind to and regulate Na(+)/H(+) exchangers, which occurs through a variety of mechanisms whose relative significance is incompletely understood. Like mammals, Caenorhabditis elegans has three CHP paralogs, but unlike mammals, worms can survive CHP loss-of-function. However, mutants for the CHP ortholog PBO-1 are unfit, and PBO-1 has been shown to be required for proton signaling by the basolateral Na(+)/H(+) exchanger NHX-7 and for proton-coupled intestinal nutrient uptake by the apical Na(+)/H(+) exchanger NHX-2. Here, we have used this genetic model organism to interrogate PBO-1's mechanism of action. Using fluorescent tags to monitor Na(+)/H(+) exchanger trafficking and localization, we found that loss of either PBO-1 binding or activity caused NHX-7 to accumulate in late endosomes/lysosomes. In contrast, NHX-2 was stabilized at the apical membrane by a nonfunctional PBO-1 protein and was only internalized following its complete loss. Additionally, two pbo-1 paralogs were identified, and their expression patterns were analyzed. One of these contributed to the function of the excretory cell, which acts like a kidney in worms, establishing an alternative model for testing the role of this protein in membrane transporter trafficking and regulation. These results lead us to conclude that the role of CHP in Na(+)/H(+) exchanger regulation differs between apical and basolateral transporters. This further emphasizes the importance of proper targeting of Na(+)/H(+) exchangers and the critical role of CHP family proteins in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Allman
- Departments of Pharmacology and Physiology and Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Qian Wang
- Departments of Pharmacology and Physiology and Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York
| | - Rachel L Walker
- Departments of Pharmacology and Physiology and Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York
| | - Molly Austen
- Departments of Pharmacology and Physiology and Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York
| | | | - Keith Nehrke
- Departments of Pharmacology and Physiology and Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York;
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