1
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DeOliveira CC, Crane BR. A structural decryption of cryptochromes. Front Chem 2024; 12:1436322. [PMID: 39220829 PMCID: PMC11362059 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2024.1436322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Cryptochromes (CRYs), which are signaling proteins related to DNA photolyases, play pivotal roles in sensory responses throughout biology, including growth and development, metabolic regulation, circadian rhythm entrainment and geomagnetic field sensing. This review explores the evolutionary relationships and functional diversity of cryptochromes from the perspective of their molecular structures. In general, CRY biological activities derive from their core structural architecture, which is based on a Photolyase Homology Region (PHR) and a more variable and functionally specific Cryptochrome C-terminal Extension (CCE). The α/β and α-helical domains within the PHR bind FAD, modulate redox reactive residues, accommodate antenna cofactors, recognize small molecules and provide conformationally responsive interaction surfaces for a range of partners. CCEs add structural complexity and divergence, and in doing so, influence photoreceptor reactivity and tailor function. Primary and secondary pockets within the PHR bind myriad moieties and collaborate with the CCEs to tune recognition properties and propagate chemical changes to downstream partners. For some CRYs, changes in homo and hetero-oligomerization couple to light-induced conformational changes, for others, changes in posttranslational modifications couple to cascades of protein interactions with partners and effectors. The structural exploration of cryptochromes underscores how a broad family of signaling proteins with close relationship to light-dependent enzymes achieves a wide range of activities through conservation of key structural and chemical properties upon which function-specific features are elaborated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian R. Crane
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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2
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Saft M, Schneider L, Ho CC, Maiterth E, Menke J, Sendker F, Steinchen W, Essen LO. One More for Light-triggered Conformational Changes in Cryptochromes: CryP from Phaeodactylum tricornutum. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168408. [PMID: 38123123 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Cryptochromes are a ubiquitously occurring class of photoreceptors. Together with photolyases, they form the Photolyase Cryptochrome Superfamily (PCSf) by sharing a common protein architecture and binding mode of the FAD chromophore. Despite these similarities, PCSf members exert different functions. Photolyases repair UV-induced DNA damage by photocatalytically driven electron transfer between FADH¯ and the DNA lesion, whereas cryptochromes are light-dependent signaling molecules and trigger various biological processes by photoconversion of their FAD redox and charge states. Given that most cryptochromes possess a C-terminal extension (CTE) of varying length, the functions of their CTE have not yet been fully elucidated and are hence highly debated. In this study, the role of the CTE was investigated for a novel subclass of the PCSf, the CryP-like cryptochromes, by hydrogen/deuterium exchange and mass-spectrometric analysis. Striking differences in the relative deuterium uptake were observed in different redox states of CryP from the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Based on these measurements we propose a model for light-triggered conformational changes in CryP-like cryptochromes that differs from other known cryptochrome families like the insect or plant cryptochromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Saft
- Department of Chemistry, Philipps University Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Leonie Schneider
- Department of Chemistry, Philipps University Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Chun-Chih Ho
- Department of Chemistry, Philipps University Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Elias Maiterth
- Department of Chemistry, Philipps University Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Josephine Menke
- Department of Chemistry, Philipps University Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Franziska Sendker
- Evolutionary Biochemistry Group, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Wieland Steinchen
- Center of Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Philipps University Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Lars-Oliver Essen
- Department of Chemistry, Philipps University Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany.
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3
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Mat A, Vu HH, Wolf E, Tessmar-Raible K. All Light, Everywhere? Photoreceptors at Nonconventional Sites. Physiology (Bethesda) 2024; 39:0. [PMID: 37905983 PMCID: PMC11283901 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00017.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the biggest environmental alterations we have made to our species is the change in the exposure to light. During the day, we typically sit behind glass windows illuminated by artificial light that is >400 times dimmer and has a very different spectrum than natural daylight. On the opposite end are the nights that are now lit up by several orders of magnitude. This review aims to provide food for thought as to why this matters for humans and other animals. Evidence from behavioral neuroscience, physiology, chronobiology, and molecular biology is increasingly converging on the conclusions that the biological nonvisual functions of light and photosensory molecules are highly complex. The initial work of von Frisch on extraocular photoreceptors in fish, the identification of rhodopsins as the molecular light receptors in animal eyes and eye-like structures and cryptochromes as light sensors in nonmammalian chronobiology, still allowed for the impression that light reception would be a relatively restricted, localized sense in most animals. However, light-sensitive processes and/or sensory proteins have now been localized to many different cell types and tissues. It might be necessary to consider nonlight-responding cells as the exception, rather than the rule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Mat
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna BioCenter, Vienna, Austria
- VIPS2, Vienna BioCenter, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hong Ha Vu
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Eva Wolf
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Mainz, Germany
| | - Kristin Tessmar-Raible
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna BioCenter, Vienna, Austria
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
- Carl-von-Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany
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Yuan XN, Luo C, Zhao QF, Zhong SY, Hang Q, Dai TM, Pan ZH, Sima YH, Qiu JF, Xu SQ. The clock gene Cryptochrome 1 is involved in the photoresponse of embryonic hatching behavior in Bombyx mori. ARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 114:e22046. [PMID: 37583246 DOI: 10.1002/arch.22046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
The hatching of insect eggs is a classic circadian behavior rhythm controlled by the biological clock. Its function is considered to impose a daily rhythm on the embryo, allowing it to hatch within a permissible time window. However, the molecular pathways through which the clock affects embryonic hatching behavior remain unclear. Here, we utilized a clock gene Cryptochrome1 (Cry1) knockout mutant to dissect the pathways by which the circadian clock affects embryonic hatching rhythm in the silkworm. In the Cry1 mutant, the embryo hatching rhythm was disrupted. Under the constant light or constant dark incubation conditions, mutant embryos lost their hatching rhythm, while wild-type embryos hatch exhibiting free-running rhythm. In the light-dark cycle (LD), the hatching rhythm of CRY1-deficient silkworms could not be entrained by the LD photoperiod during the incubation period. The messenger RNA levels and enzymatic activities of Cht and Hel in the mutant embryos were significantly reduced at circadian time 24 (CT24). Transcriptome analysis revealed significant differences in gene expression at CT24 between the Cry1 knockout mutant and the wild-type, with 2616 differentially expressed genes identified. The enriched Gene Ontology pathway includes enzyme activity, energy availability, and protein translation. Short neuropeptide F signaling was reduced in the CT24 embryonic brain of the mutant, the expression of the neuropeptide PTTH was also reduced and the rhythm was lost, which further affects ecdysteroid signaling. Our results suggested that the silkworm circadian clock affects neuropeptide-hormone signaling as well as physiological functions related to hatching, which may regulate the hatching rhythm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Nan Yuan
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Cheng Luo
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Qi-Fan Zhao
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Si-Yin Zhong
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Qi Hang
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Tai-Ming Dai
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Zhong-Hua Pan
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yang-Hu Sima
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Jian-Feng Qiu
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Shi-Qing Xu
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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Lin C, Feng S, DeOliveira CC, Crane BR. Cryptochrome-Timeless structure reveals circadian clock timing mechanisms. Nature 2023; 617:194-199. [PMID: 37100907 PMCID: PMC11034853 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06009-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
Circadian rhythms influence many behaviours and diseases1,2. They arise from oscillations in gene expression caused by repressor proteins that directly inhibit transcription of their own genes. The fly circadian clock offers a valuable model for studying these processes, wherein Timeless (Tim) plays a critical role in mediating nuclear entry of the transcriptional repressor Period (Per) and the photoreceptor Cryptochrome (Cry) entrains the clock by triggering Tim degradation in light2,3. Here, through cryogenic electron microscopy of the Cry-Tim complex, we show how a light-sensing cryptochrome recognizes its target. Cry engages a continuous core of amino-terminal Tim armadillo repeats, resembling how photolyases recognize damaged DNA, and binds a C-terminal Tim helix, reminiscent of the interactions between light-insensitive cryptochromes and their partners in mammals. The structure highlights how the Cry flavin cofactor undergoes conformational changes that couple to large-scale rearrangements at the molecular interface, and how a phosphorylated segment in Tim may impact clock period by regulating the binding of Importin-α and the nuclear import of Tim-Per4,5. Moreover, the structure reveals that the N terminus of Tim inserts into the restructured Cry pocket to replace the autoinhibitory C-terminal tail released by light, thereby providing a possible explanation for how the long-short Tim polymorphism adapts flies to different climates6,7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changfan Lin
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Shi Feng
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | - Brian R Crane
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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Qiu J, Dai T, Luo C, Cui W, Liu K, Li J, Sima Y, Xu S. Circadian clock regulates developmental time through ecdysone and juvenile hormones in Bombyx mori. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 36815346 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The circadian clock plays an integral role in hormone biosynthesis and secretion. However, how the circadian clock precisely coordinates hormonal homeostasis to maintain normal animal development remains unclear. Here, we show that knocking out the core clock gene Cryptochrome 1 (Cry1) significantly delays the developmental time in Bombyx mori. This study focuses on the ecdysone and juvenile hormone signalling pathways of fifth instar larvae with the longest developmental time delay. We found that the mutant reduced prothoracicotropic hormone synthesis in the brain, and could not produce sufficient ecdysone in the prothoracic gland, resulting in a delayed peak of 20-hydroxyecdysone titre in the hemolymph of fifth instar larvae, prolonging developmental time. Moreover, further investigation revealed that the mutant enhanced juvenile hormone biosynthesis and signalling pathway and that this higher juvenile hormone titre also resulted in prolonged developmental time in fifth instar larvae. Our results provide insights into the molecular mechanisms by which the circadian clock regulates animal development by maintaining hormonal homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianfeng Qiu
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Taiming Dai
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Cheng Luo
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Wenzhao Cui
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Kai Liu
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Jianglan Li
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yanghu Sima
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Shiqing Xu
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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7
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Matsuo R, Kotoh S, Takishita K, Sakamoto K, Uebi T, Ozaki M, Matsuo Y, Nishi T. Opsins in the Cephalic and Extracephalic Photoreceptors in the Marine Gastropod Onchidium verruculatum. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2022; 243:339-352. [PMID: 36716483 DOI: 10.1086/723013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe marine gastropod Onchidium verruculatum has a pair of ocular photoreceptors, the stalk eyes, on the tip of its stalk near the head, as well as several extracephalic photosensory organs. The retinas of the stalk eye consist of two morphologically distinct visual cells, namely, the type I cells equipped with well-developed microvilli and the type II cells with less developed microvilli. The extracephalic photosensors comprise the dorsal eye, dermal photoreceptor, and brain photosensitive neurons. The characteristics of these cephalic and extracephalic photosensory organs have been studied from morphological and electrophysiological perspectives. However, little is known about the visual pigment molecules responsible for light detection in these organs. In the present study, we searched for opsin molecules that are expressed in the neural tissues of Onchidium and identified six putative signaling-competent opsin species, including Xenopsin1, Xenopsin2, Gq-coupled rhodopsin1, Gq-coupled rhodopsin2, Opsin-5B, and Gq-coupled rhodopsin-like. Immunohistochemical staining of four of the six opsins revealed that Xenopsin1, Gq-coupled rhodopsin1, and Gq-coupled rhodopsin2 are expressed in the rhabdomere of the stalk eye and in the dermal photoreceptor. Xenopsin2 was expressed in the type II photoreceptors of the stalk eye and in the ciliary photoreceptors of the dorsal eye. These immunohistochemical data were consistent with the results of the expression analysis, revealed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. This study clarified the identities of opsins expressed in the extracephalic photosensory organs of Onchidium and the distinct molecular compositions among the photoreceptors.
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Petersen J, Rredhi A, Szyttenholm J, Mittag M. Evolution of circadian clocks along the green lineage. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 190:924-937. [PMID: 35325228 PMCID: PMC9516769 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Circadian clocks govern temporal programs in the green lineage (Chloroplastida) as they do in other photosynthetic pro- and eukaryotes, bacteria, fungi, animals, and humans. Their physiological properties, including entrainment, phase responses, and temperature compensation, are well conserved. The involvement of transcriptional/translational feedback loops in the oscillatory machinery and reversible phosphorylation events are also maintained. Circadian clocks control a large variety of output rhythms in green algae and terrestrial plants, adjusting their metabolism and behavior to the day-night cycle. The angiosperm Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) represents a well-studied circadian clock model. Several molecular components of its oscillatory machinery are conserved in other Chloroplastida, but their functions may differ. Conserved clock components include at least one member of the CIRCADIAN CLOCK ASSOCIATED1/REVEILLE and one of the PSEUDO RESPONSE REGULATOR family. The Arabidopsis evening complex members EARLY FLOWERING3 (ELF3), ELF4, and LUX ARRHYTHMO are found in the moss Physcomitrium patens and in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. In the flagellate chlorophyte alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, only homologs of ELF4 and LUX (named RHYTHM OF CHLOROPLAST ROC75) are present. Temporal ROC75 expression in C. reinhardtii is opposite to that of the angiosperm LUX, suggesting different clock mechanisms. In the picoalga Ostreococcus tauri, both ELF genes are missing, suggesting that it has a progenitor circadian "green" clock. Clock-relevant photoreceptors and thermosensors vary within the green lineage, except for the CRYPTOCHROMEs, whose variety and functions may differ. More genetically tractable models of Chloroplastida are needed to draw final conclusions about the gradual evolution of circadian clocks within the green lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Petersen
- Matthias Schleiden Institute of Genetics, Bioinformatics and Molecular Botany, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena 07743, Germany
| | - Anxhela Rredhi
- Matthias Schleiden Institute of Genetics, Bioinformatics and Molecular Botany, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena 07743, Germany
| | - Julie Szyttenholm
- Matthias Schleiden Institute of Genetics, Bioinformatics and Molecular Botany, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena 07743, Germany
| | - Maria Mittag
- Matthias Schleiden Institute of Genetics, Bioinformatics and Molecular Botany, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena 07743, Germany
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Zurl M, Poehn B, Rieger D, Krishnan S, Rokvic D, Veedin Rajan VB, Gerrard E, Schlichting M, Orel L, Ćorić A, Lucas RJ, Wolf E, Helfrich-Förster C, Raible F, Tessmar-Raible K. Two light sensors decode moonlight versus sunlight to adjust a plastic circadian/circalunidian clock to moon phase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2115725119. [PMID: 35622889 PMCID: PMC9295771 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2115725119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Many species synchronize their physiology and behavior to specific hours. It is commonly assumed that sunlight acts as the main entrainment signal for ∼24-h clocks. However, the moon provides similarly regular time information. Consistently, a growing number of studies have reported correlations between diel behavior and lunidian cycles. Yet, mechanistic insight into the possible influences of the moon on ∼24-h timers remains scarce. We have explored the marine bristleworm Platynereis dumerilii to investigate the role of moonlight in the timing of daily behavior. We uncover that moonlight, besides its role in monthly timing, also schedules the exact hour of nocturnal swarming onset to the nights’ darkest times. Our work reveals that extended moonlight impacts on a plastic clock that exhibits <24 h (moonlit) or >24 h (no moon) periodicity. Abundance, light sensitivity, and genetic requirement indicate that the Platynereis light receptor molecule r-Opsin1 serves as a receptor that senses moonrise, whereas the cryptochrome protein L-Cry is required to discriminate the proper valence of nocturnal light as either moonlight or sunlight. Comparative experiments in Drosophila suggest that cryptochrome’s principle requirement for light valence interpretation is conserved. Its exact biochemical properties differ, however, between species with dissimilar timing ecology. Our work advances the molecular understanding of lunar impact on fundamental rhythmic processes, including those of marine mass spawners endangered by anthropogenic change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Zurl
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Research Platform “Rhythms of Life", University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Birgit Poehn
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Research Platform “Rhythms of Life", University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Dirk Rieger
- Department for Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri Institute, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Shruthi Krishnan
- Institute of Molecular Biology, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Dunja Rokvic
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Research Platform “Rhythms of Life", University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Vinoth Babu Veedin Rajan
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Research Platform “Rhythms of Life", University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Elliot Gerrard
- Division of Neuroscience & Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | | | - Lukas Orel
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Research Platform “Rhythms of Life", University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Aida Ćorić
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Research Platform “Rhythms of Life", University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Robert J. Lucas
- Division of Neuroscience & Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Eva Wolf
- Institute of Molecular Biology, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Charlotte Helfrich-Förster
- Department for Neurobiology and Genetics, Theodor-Boveri Institute, Biocentre, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Florian Raible
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Research Platform “Rhythms of Life", University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Kristin Tessmar-Raible
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Research Platform “Rhythms of Life", University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
- Carl-von-Ossietzky University, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
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Lin C, Schneps CM, Chandrasekaran S, Ganguly A, Crane BR. Mechanistic insight into light-dependent recognition of Timeless by Drosophila Cryptochrome. Structure 2022; 30:851-861.e5. [PMID: 35397203 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2022.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Cryptochrome (CRY) entrains the fly circadian clock by binding to Timeless (TIM) in light. Undocking of a helical C-terminal tail (CTT) in response to photoreduction of the CRY flavin cofactor gates TIM recognition. We present a generally applicable select western-blot-free tagged-protein interaction (SWFTI) assay that allowed the quantification of CRY binding to TIM in dark and light. The assay was used to study CRY variants with residue substitutions in the flavin pocket and correlate their TIM affinities with CTT undocking, as measured by pulse-dipolar ESR spectroscopy and evaluated by molecular dynamics simulations. CRY variants with the CTT removed or undocked bound TIM constitutively, whereas those incapable of photoreduction bound TIM weakly. In response to the flavin redox state, two conserved histidine residues contributed to a robust on/off switch by mediating CTT interactions with the flavin pocket and TIM. Our approach provides an expeditious means to quantify the interactions of difficult-to-produce proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changfan Lin
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Connor M Schneps
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | | | - Abir Ganguly
- Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Brian R Crane
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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11
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Yildirim E, Curtis R, Hwangbo DS. Roles of peripheral clocks: lessons from the fly. FEBS Lett 2022; 596:263-293. [PMID: 34862983 PMCID: PMC8844272 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
To adapt to and anticipate rhythmic changes in the environment such as daily light-dark and temperature cycles, internal timekeeping mechanisms called biological clocks evolved in a diverse set of organisms, from unicellular bacteria to humans. These biological clocks play critical roles in organisms' fitness and survival by temporally aligning physiological and behavioral processes to the external cues. The central clock is located in a small subset of neurons in the brain and drives daily activity rhythms, whereas most peripheral tissues harbor their own clock systems, which generate metabolic and physiological rhythms. Since the discovery of Drosophila melanogaster clock mutants in the early 1970s, the fruit fly has become an extensively studied model organism to investigate the mechanism and functions of circadian clocks. In this review, we primarily focus on D. melanogaster to survey key discoveries and progresses made over the past two decades in our understanding of peripheral clocks. We discuss physiological roles and molecular mechanisms of peripheral clocks in several different peripheral tissues of the fly.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rachel Curtis
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Dae-Sung Hwangbo
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
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Sharpe MA, Baskin DS, Pichumani K, Ijare OB, Helekar SA. Rotating Magnetic Fields Inhibit Mitochondrial Respiration, Promote Oxidative Stress and Produce Loss of Mitochondrial Integrity in Cancer Cells. Front Oncol 2021; 11:768758. [PMID: 34858847 PMCID: PMC8631329 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.768758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Electromagnetic fields (EMF) raise intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can be toxic to cancer cells. Because weak magnetic fields influence spin state pairing in redox-active radical electron pairs, we hypothesize that they disrupt electron flow in the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC). We tested this hypothesis by studying the effects of oscillating magnetic fields (sOMF) produced by a new noninvasive device involving permanent magnets spinning with specific frequency and timing patterns. We studied the effects of sOMF on ETC by measuring the consumption of oxygen (O2) by isolated rat liver mitochondria, normal human astrocytes, and several patient derived brain tumor cells, and O2 generation/consumption by plant cells with an O2 electrode. We also investigated glucose metabolism in tumor cells using 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance and assessed mitochondrial alterations leading to cell death by using fluorescence microscopy with MitoTracker™ and a fluorescent probe for Caspase 3 activation. We show that sOMF of appropriate field strength, frequency, and on/off profiles completely arrest electron transport in isolated, respiring, rat liver mitochondria and patient derived glioblastoma (GBM), meningioma and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) cells and can induce loss of mitochondrial integrity. These changes correlate with a decrease in mitochondrial carbon flux in cancer cells and with cancer cell death even in the non-dividing phase of the cell cycle. Our findings suggest that rotating magnetic fields could be therapeutically efficacious in brain cancers such as GBM and DIPG through selective disruption of the electron flow in immobile ETC complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martyn A Sharpe
- Kenneth R. Peak Center for Brain and Pituitary Tumor Treatment and Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, United States
| | - David S Baskin
- Kenneth R. Peak Center for Brain and Pituitary Tumor Treatment and Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kumar Pichumani
- Kenneth R. Peak Center for Brain and Pituitary Tumor Treatment and Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Omkar B Ijare
- Kenneth R. Peak Center for Brain and Pituitary Tumor Treatment and Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Santosh A Helekar
- Kenneth R. Peak Center for Brain and Pituitary Tumor Treatment and Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
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Ozturk N. Light-dependent reactions of animal circadian photoreceptor cryptochrome. FEBS J 2021; 289:6622-6639. [PMID: 34750956 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Circadian rhythms are endogenous autonomous 24-h oscillations that are generated by a transcription-translation feedback loop (TTFL). In the positive arm of the TTFL, two transcription factors activate the expression of two genes of the negative arm as well as circadian clock-regulated genes. The circadian clocks are reset through photoreceptor proteins by sunlight in the early morning to keep synchrony with the geological clock. Among animal circadian photoreceptors, Drosophila Cryptochrome (DmCRY) has some unique properties because Drosophila has a single cryptochrome (CRY) that appears to have functions which are specific to organs or tissues, or even to a subset of cells. In mammals, CRYs are not photoreceptors but function in the TTFL, while insects have a light-insensitive mammalian-like CRY or a Drosophila-like photoreceptor CRY (or both). Here, we postulate that as being just one CRY in Drosophila, DmCRY might play different roles in different tissues/organs in a context-dependent manner. In addition to being a circadian photoreceptor/protein, attributing also a magnetoreception function to DmCRY has increased its workload. Considering that DmCRY senses photons as a photoreceptor but also can regulate many different events in a light-dependent manner, differential protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of DmCRY might play a critical role in the generation of such diverse outputs. Therefore, we need to add novel approaches in addition to the current ones to study multiple and context-dependent functions of DmCRY by adopting recently developed techniques. Successful identification of transient/fast PPIs on a scale of minutes would enhance our understanding of light-dependent and/or magnetoreception-associated reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuri Ozturk
- Molecular Biology and Genetics, Gebze Technical University, Turkey
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Abstract
Circadian clocks are cell-autonomous self-sustaining oscillators that allow organisms to anticipate environmental changes throughout the solar day and persist in nearly every cell examined. Environmental or genetic disruption of circadian rhythms increases the risk of several types of cancer, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we discuss evidence connecting circadian rhythms-with emphasis on the cryptochrome proteins (CRY1/2)-to cancer through in vivo models, mechanisms involving known tumor suppressors and oncogenes, chemotherapeutic efficacy, and human cancer risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alanna B Chan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Katja A Lamia
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Schlichting M. Entrainment of the Drosophila clock by the visual system. Neurosci Insights 2020; 15:2633105520903708. [PMID: 35174330 PMCID: PMC8842342 DOI: 10.1177/2633105520903708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Circadian clocks evolved as an adaptation to the cyclic change of day and night. To precisely adapt to this environment, the endogenous period has to be adjusted every day to exactly 24 hours by a process called entrainment. Organisms can use several external cues, called zeitgebers, to adapt. These include changes in temperature, humidity, or light. The latter is the most powerful signal to synchronize the clock in animals. Research shows that a complex visual system and circadian photoreceptors work together to adjust animal physiology to the outside world. This review will focus on the importance of the visual system for clock synchronization in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. It will cover behavioral and physiological evidence that supports the importance of the visual system in light entrainment.
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