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Tursch A, Holstein TW. From injury to patterning—MAPKs and Wnt signaling in Hydra. Curr Top Dev Biol 2023; 153:381-417. [PMID: 36967201 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2023.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Hydra has a regenerative capacity that is not limited to individual organs but encompasses the entire body. Various global and integrative genome, transcriptome and proteome approaches have shown that many of the signaling pathways and transcription factors present in vertebrates are already present in Cnidaria, the sister group of Bilateria, and are also activated in regeneration. It is now possible to investigate one of the central questions of regeneration biology, i.e., how does the patterning system become activated by the injury signals that initiate regeneration. This review will present the current data obtained in Hydra and draw parallels with regeneration in Bilateria. Important findings of this global analysis are that the Wnt signaling pathway has a dual function in the regeneration process. In the early phase Wnt is activated generically and in a second phase of pattern formation it is activated in a position specific manner. Thus, Wnt signaling is part of the generic injury response, in which mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are initially activated via calcium and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The MAPKs, p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) are essential for Wnt activation in Hydra head and foot regenerates. Furthermore, the antagonism between the ERK signaling pathway and stress-induced MAPKs results in a balanced induction of apoptosis and mitosis. However, the early Wnt genes are activated by MAPK signaling rather than apoptosis. Early Wnt gene activity is differentially integrated with a stable, β-Catenin-based gradient along the primary body axis maintaining axial polarity and activating further Wnts in the regenerating head. Because MAPKs and Wnts are highly evolutionarily conserved, we hypothesize that this mechanism is also present in vertebrates but may be activated to different degrees at the level of early Wnt gene integration.
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Bosch TCG. Beyond Lynn Margulis’ green hydra. Symbiosis 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13199-022-00849-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
AbstractLynn Margulis has made it clear that in nature partnerships are the predominant form of life; that life processes can only be understood in terms of the interactions of such partnerships; and that their inherent complexity can only be understood by taking a holistic approach. Here I attempt to relate Lynn Margulis´ observations on the freshwater polyp hydra to the perceptions and problems of today’s Hydra research. To accomplish this, I will synthesize our current understanding of how symbionts influence the phenotype and fitness of hydra. Based on this new findings, a fundamental paradigm shift and a new era is emerging in the way that we consider organisms such as hydra as multi-organismic metaorganisms, just as Lynn Margulis may have thought about it.
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Vimalkumar K, Sangeetha S, Felix L, Kay P, Pugazhendhi A. A systematic review on toxicity assessment of persistent emerging pollutants (EPs) and associated microplastics (MPs) in the environment using the Hydra animal model. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2022; 256:109320. [PMID: 35227876 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2022.109320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Emerging pollutants (EPs) are causative for teratogenic and reproductive effects. EPs are detected in all the environmental matrices at higher levels. A suitable model for aquatic toxicity assessment is Hydra, because of morphological, behavioral, reproductive (sexual and asexual), and biochemical changes. Many researchers have used Hydra for toxicity assessment of organic chemicals (BPA), heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, nanomaterials and microplastics. Various Hydra species were used for environmental toxicity studies; however H. magnipapillata was predominantly used due to the availability of its genome and proteome sequences. Teratogenic and reproductive changes in Hydra are species specific. Teratogenic effects were studied using sterozoom dissecting microscope, acridine orange (AO) and 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DPAI) staining. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by EPs had been understood by the Dichlorodihydrofluorescein Diacetate (DCFDA) staining and comet assay. Multiple advanced techniques would aid to understand the effects at molecular level, such as real-time PCR, rapid amplification of cDNA end- PCR. EPs modulated the major antioxidant enzyme levels, therefore, defense mechanism was affected by the higher generation of reactive oxygen species. Genome sequencing helps to know the mode of action of pollutants, role of enzymes in detoxification, defense genes and stress responsive genes. Molecular techniques were used to obtain the information for evolutionary changes of genes and modulation of gene expression by EPs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Seethappan Sangeetha
- Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Lewisoscar Felix
- Infectious Diseases Division, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Paul Kay
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Arivalagan Pugazhendhi
- Emerging Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications Research Group, School of Engineering and Technology, Van Lang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
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Suraweera CD, Banjara S, Hinds MG, Kvansakul M. Metazoans and Intrinsic Apoptosis: An Evolutionary Analysis of the Bcl-2 Family. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073691. [PMID: 35409052 PMCID: PMC8998228 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) family is a group of genes regulating intrinsic apoptosis, a process controlling events such as development, homeostasis and the innate and adaptive immune responses in metazoans. In higher organisms, Bcl-2 proteins coordinate intrinsic apoptosis through their regulation of the integrity of the mitochondrial outer membrane; this function appears to have originated in the basal metazoans. Bcl-2 genes predate the cnidarian-bilaterian split and have been identified in porifera, placozoans and cnidarians but not ctenophores and some nematodes. The Bcl-2 family is composed of two groups of proteins, one with an α-helical Bcl-2 fold that has been identified in porifera, placozoans, cnidarians, and almost all higher bilaterians. The second group of proteins, the BH3-only group, has little sequence conservation and less well-defined structures and is found in cnidarians and most bilaterians, but not porifera or placozoans. Here we examine the evolutionary relationships between Bcl-2 proteins. We show that the structures of the Bcl-2-fold proteins are highly conserved over evolutionary time. Some metazoans such as the urochordate Oikopleura dioica have lost all Bcl-2 family members. This gene loss indicates that Bcl-2 regulated apoptosis is not an absolute requirement in metazoans, a finding mirrored in recent gene deletion studies in mice. Sequence analysis suggests that at least some Bcl-2 proteins lack the ability to bind BH3-only antagonists and therefore potentially have other non-apoptotic functions. By examining the foundations of the Bcl-2 regulated apoptosis, functional relationships may be clarified that allow us to understand the role of specific Bcl-2 proteins in evolution and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chathura D. Suraweera
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia; (C.D.S.); (S.B.)
| | - Suresh Banjara
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia; (C.D.S.); (S.B.)
| | - Mark G. Hinds
- Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Correspondence: (M.G.H.); (M.K.)
| | - Marc Kvansakul
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia; (C.D.S.); (S.B.)
- Correspondence: (M.G.H.); (M.K.)
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5
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Vogg MC, Buzgariu W, Suknovic NS, Galliot B. Cellular, Metabolic, and Developmental Dimensions of Whole-Body Regeneration in Hydra. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2021; 13:a040725. [PMID: 34230037 PMCID: PMC8635000 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a040725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Here we discuss the developmental and homeostatic conditions necessary for Hydra regeneration. Hydra is characterized by populations of adult stem cells paused in the G2 phase of the cell cycle, ready to respond to injury signals. The body column can be compared to a blastema-like structure, populated with multifunctional epithelial stem cells that show low sensitivity to proapoptotic signals, and high inducibility of autophagy that promotes resistance to stress and starvation. Intact Hydra polyps also exhibit a dynamic patterning along the oral-aboral axis under the control of homeostatic organizers whose activity results from regulatory loops between activators and inhibitors. As in bilaterians, injury triggers the immediate production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) signals that promote wound healing and contribute to the reactivation of developmental programs via cell death and the de novo formation of new organizing centers from somatic tissues. In aging Hydra, regeneration is rapidly lost as homeostatic conditions are no longer pro-regenerative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Christian Vogg
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Wanda Buzgariu
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Nenad Slavko Suknovic
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Brigitte Galliot
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva 4, Switzerland
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Murad R, Macias-Muñoz A, Wong A, Ma X, Mortazavi A. Coordinated Gene Expression and Chromatin Regulation during Hydra Head Regeneration. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:evab221. [PMID: 34877597 PMCID: PMC8651858 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The cnidarian model organism Hydra has long been studied for its remarkable ability to regenerate its head, which is controlled by a head organizer located near the hypostome. The canonical Wnt pathway plays a central role in head organizer function during regeneration and during bud formation, which is the asexual mode of reproduction in Hydra. However, it is unclear how shared the developmental programs of head organizer genesis are in budding and regeneration. Time-series analysis of gene expression changes during head regeneration and budding revealed a set of 298 differentially expressed genes during the 48-h head regeneration and 72-h budding time courses. In order to understand the regulatory elements controlling Hydra head regeneration, we first identified 27,137 open-chromatin elements that are open in one or more sections of the organism body or regenerating tissue. We used histone modification ChIP-seq to identify 9,998 candidate proximal promoter and 3,018 candidate enhancer-like regions respectively. We show that a subset of these regulatory elements is dynamically remodeled during head regeneration and identify a set of transcription factor motifs that are enriched in the enhancer regions activated during head regeneration. Our results show that Hydra displays complex gene regulatory structures of developmentally dynamic enhancers, which suggests that the evolution of complex developmental enhancers predates the split of cnidarians and bilaterians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rabi Murad
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, USA
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California Irvine, USA
| | - Aide Macias-Muñoz
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, USA
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California Irvine, USA
| | - Ashley Wong
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, USA
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California Irvine, USA
| | - Xinyi Ma
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, USA
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California Irvine, USA
| | - Ali Mortazavi
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, USA
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California Irvine, USA
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Holtze S, Gorshkova E, Braude S, Cellerino A, Dammann P, Hildebrandt TB, Hoeflich A, Hoffmann S, Koch P, Terzibasi Tozzini E, Skulachev M, Skulachev VP, Sahm A. Alternative Animal Models of Aging Research. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:660959. [PMID: 34079817 PMCID: PMC8166319 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.660959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Most research on mechanisms of aging is being conducted in a very limited number of classical model species, i.e., laboratory mouse (Mus musculus), rat (Rattus norvegicus domestica), the common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and roundworm (Caenorhabditis elegans). The obvious advantages of using these models are access to resources such as strains with known genetic properties, high-quality genomic and transcriptomic sequencing data, versatile experimental manipulation capabilities including well-established genome editing tools, as well as extensive experience in husbandry. However, this approach may introduce interpretation biases due to the specific characteristics of the investigated species, which may lead to inappropriate, or even false, generalization. For example, it is still unclear to what extent knowledge of aging mechanisms gained in short-lived model organisms is transferable to long-lived species such as humans. In addition, other specific adaptations favoring a long and healthy life from the immense evolutionary toolbox may be entirely missed. In this review, we summarize the specific characteristics of emerging animal models that have attracted the attention of gerontologists, we provide an overview of the available data and resources related to these models, and we summarize important insights gained from them in recent years. The models presented include short-lived ones such as killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri), long-lived ones such as primates (Callithrix jacchus, Cebus imitator, Macaca mulatta), bathyergid mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber, Fukomys spp.), bats (Myotis spp.), birds, olms (Proteus anguinus), turtles, greenland sharks, bivalves (Arctica islandica), and potentially non-aging ones such as Hydra and Planaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Holtze
- Department of Reproduction Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ekaterina Gorshkova
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Stan Braude
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Alessandro Cellerino
- Biology Laboratory, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
- Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Philip Dammann
- Department of General Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
- Central Animal Laboratory, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Thomas B. Hildebrandt
- Department of Reproduction Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Hoeflich
- Division Signal Transduction, Institute for Genome Biology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Steve Hoffmann
- Computational Biology Group, Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Philipp Koch
- Core Facility Life Science Computing, Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Eva Terzibasi Tozzini
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
| | - Maxim Skulachev
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladimir P. Skulachev
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Arne Sahm
- Computational Biology Group, Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany
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Pillai A, Gungi A, Reddy PC, Galande S. Epigenetic Regulation in Hydra: Conserved and Divergent Roles. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:663208. [PMID: 34041242 PMCID: PMC8141815 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.663208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Transitions in gene regulatory processes responsible for the emergence of specialized cell types and spatiotemporal regulation of developmental signaling prior to the divergence of Cnidaria and Bilateria are poorly understood. As a sister group of Bilateria, the phylum Cnidaria can provide significant insights into these processes. Among the cnidarians, hydrae have been studied for >250 years to comprehend the mechanisms underlying their unique immortality and robust regenerative capacity. Studies on Hydra spp. and other pre-bilaterians alike have advanced our understanding of the evolutionary underpinnings governing eumetazoan tissue development, homeostasis, and regeneration. In addition to its regenerative potential, Hydra exhibits continuously active axial patterning due to its peculiar tissue dynamics. These distinctive physiological processes necessitate large scale gene expression changes that are governed by the multitude of epigenetic mechanisms operating in cells. This review highlights the contemporary knowledge of epigenetic regulation in Hydra with contemporary studies from other members of Cnidaria, as well as the interplay between regulatory mechanisms wherever demonstrated. The studies covered in the scope of this review reveal both ancestral and divergent roles played by conserved epigenetic mechanisms with emphasis on transcriptional regulation. Additionally, single-cell transcriptomics data was mined to predict the physiological relevance of putative gene regulatory components, which is in agreement with published findings and yielded insights into the possible functions of the gene regulatory mechanisms that are yet to be deciphered in Hydra, such as DNA methylation. Finally, we delineate potentially rewarding epigenetics research avenues that can further leverage the unique biology of Hydra.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Puli Chandramouli Reddy
- Centre of Excellence in Epigenetics, Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
| | - Sanjeev Galande
- Centre of Excellence in Epigenetics, Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
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Schenkelaars Q, Perez-Cortes D, Perruchoud C, Galliot B. The polymorphism of Hydra microsatellite sequences provides strain-specific signatures. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0230547. [PMID: 32986740 PMCID: PMC7521734 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230547] [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: 03/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydra are freshwater polyps widely studied for their amazing regenerative capacity, adult stem cell populations, low senescence and value as ecotoxicological marker. Many wild-type strains of H. vulgaris have been collected worldwide and maintained effectively under laboratory conditions by asexual reproduction, while stable transgenic lines have been continuously produced since 2006. Efforts are now needed to ensure the genetic characterization of all these strains, which despite similar morphologies, show significant variability in their response to gene expression silencing procedures, pharmacological treatments or environmental conditions. Here, we established a rapid and reliable procedure at the single polyp level to produce via PCR amplification of three distinct microsatellite sequences molecular signatures that distinguish between Hydra strains and species. The TG-rich region of an uncharacterized gene (ms-c25145) helps to distinguish between Eurasian H. vulgaris-Pallas strains (Hm-105, Basel1, Basel2 and reg-16), between Eurasian and North American H. vulgaris strains (H. carnea, AEP), and between the H. vulgaris and H. oligactis species. The AT-rich microsatellite sequences located in the AIP gene (Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Interaction Protein, ms-AIP) also differ between Eurasian and North American H. vulgaris strains. Finally, the AT-rich microsatellite located in the Myb-Like cyclin D-binding transcription factor1 gene (ms-DMTF1) gene helps to distinguish certain transgenic AEP lines. This study shows that the analysis of microsatellite sequences, which is capable of tracing genomic variations between closely related lineages of Hydra, provides a sensitive and robust tool for characterizing the Hydra strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Schenkelaars
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Diego Perez-Cortes
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Chrystelle Perruchoud
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Brigitte Galliot
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Parisi MG, Parrinello D, Stabili L, Cammarata M. Cnidarian Immunity and the Repertoire of Defense Mechanisms in Anthozoans. BIOLOGY 2020; 9:E283. [PMID: 32932829 PMCID: PMC7563517 DOI: 10.3390/biology9090283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Anthozoa is the most specious class of the phylum Cnidaria that is phylogenetically basal within the Metazoa. It is an interesting group for studying the evolution of mutualisms and immunity, for despite their morphological simplicity, Anthozoans are unexpectedly immunologically complex, with large genomes and gene families similar to those of the Bilateria. Evidence indicates that the Anthozoan innate immune system is not only involved in the disruption of harmful microorganisms, but is also crucial in structuring tissue-associated microbial communities that are essential components of the cnidarian holobiont and useful to the animal's health for several functions including metabolism, immune defense, development, and behavior. Here, we report on the current state of the art of Anthozoan immunity. Like other invertebrates, Anthozoans possess immune mechanisms based on self/non-self-recognition. Although lacking adaptive immunity, they use a diverse repertoire of immune receptor signaling pathways (PRRs) to recognize a broad array of conserved microorganism-associated molecular patterns (MAMP). The intracellular signaling cascades lead to gene transcription up to endpoints of release of molecules that kill the pathogens, defend the self by maintaining homeostasis, and modulate the wound repair process. The cells play a fundamental role in immunity, as they display phagocytic activities and secrete mucus, which acts as a physicochemical barrier preventing or slowing down the proliferation of potential invaders. Finally, we describe the current state of knowledge of some immune effectors in Anthozoan species, including the potential role of toxins and the inflammatory response in the Mediterranean Anthozoan Anemonia viridis following injection of various foreign particles differing in type and dimensions, including pathogenetic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Giovanna Parisi
- Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Daniela Parrinello
- Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Loredana Stabili
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy;
| | - Matteo Cammarata
- Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy;
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Alternative pathways control actomyosin contractility in epitheliomuscle cells during morphogenesis and body contraction. Dev Biol 2020; 463:88-98. [PMID: 32361004 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In adult Hydra, epitheliomuscle cells form the monolayered ecto- and endodermal epithelia. Their basal myonemes function as a longitudinal and circular muscle, respectively. Based on the observation that a Rho/Rock pathway, controlling the cell shape changes during detachment of Hydra buds, is not involved in body movement, at least two actomyosin compartments must exist in these cells: a basal one for body movement and a cortical one for cell shape changes. We therefore analyzed the regional and subcellular localization of the Ser19-phosphorylated myosin regulatory light chain (pMLC20). Along the body column, pMLC20 was detected strongly in the basal myonemes and weakly in the apical cell compartments of ectodermal epitheliomuscle cells. In cells of the bud base undergoing morphogenesis, pMLC20 was localized to intracellular stress fibers as well as to the apical and additionally to the lateral cortical compartment. Pharmacological inhibition revealed that pMLC20 is induced in these compartments by at least two independent pathways. In myonemes, MLC is phosphorylated mainly by myosin light chain kinase (MLCK). In contrast, the cortical apical and lateral MLC phosphorylation in constricting ectodermal cells of the bud base is stimulated via the Rho/ROCK pathway.
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12
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What lies beneath: Hydra provides cnidarian perspectives into the evolution of FGFR docking proteins. Dev Genes Evol 2020; 230:227-238. [PMID: 32198667 PMCID: PMC7260276 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-020-00659-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Across the Bilateria, FGF/FGFR signaling is critical for normal development, and in both Drosophila and vertebrates, docking proteins are required to connect activated FGFRs with downstream pathways. While vertebrates use Frs2 to dock FGFR to the RAS/MAPK or PI3K pathways, the unrelated protein, downstream of FGFR (Dof/stumps/heartbroken), fulfills the corresponding function in Drosophila. To better understand the evolution of the signaling pathway downstream of FGFR, the available sequence databases were screened to identify Frs2, Dof, and other key pathway components in phyla that diverged early in animal evolution. While Frs2 homologues were detected only in members of the Bilateria, canonical Dof sequences (containing Dof, ankyrin, and SH2/SH3 domains) were present in cnidarians as well as bilaterians (but not in other animals or holozoans), correlating with the appearance of FGFR. Although these data suggested that Dof coupling might be ancestral, gene expression analysis in the cnidarian Hydra revealed that Dof is not upregulated in the zone of strong FGFRa and FGFRb expression at the bud base, where FGFR signaling controls detachment. In contrast, transcripts encoding other, known elements of FGFR signaling in Bilateria, namely the FGFR adaptors Grb2 and Crkl, which are acting downstream of Dof (and Frs2), as well as the guanyl nucleotide exchange factor Sos, and the tyrosine phosphatase Csw/Shp2, were strongly upregulated at the bud base. Our expression analysis, thus, identified transcriptional upregulation of known elements of FGFR signaling at the Hydra bud base indicating a highly conserved toolkit. Lack of transcriptional Dof upregulation raises the interesting question, whether Hydra FGFR signaling requires either of the docking proteins known from Bilateria.
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Matsumoto Y, Piraino S, Miglietta MP. Transcriptome Characterization of Reverse Development in Turritopsis dohrnii (Hydrozoa, Cnidaria). G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2019; 9:4127-4138. [PMID: 31619459 PMCID: PMC6893190 DOI: 10.1534/g3.119.400487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Medusae of Turritopsis dohrnii undergo reverse development in response to physical damage, adverse environmental conditions, or aging. Senescent, weakened or damaged medusae transform into a cluster of poorly differentiated cells (known as the cyst stage), which metamorphose back into a preceding life cycle stage, the polyp. During the metamorphosis, cell transdifferentiation occurs. The cyst represents the intermediate stage between a reverting medusa and a healthy polyp, during which cell transdifferentiation and tissue reorganization take place. Here we characterize and compare the transcriptomes of the polyp and newborn medusa stages of T. dohrnii with that of the cyst, to identify biological networks potentially involved in the reverse development and transdifferentiation processes. The polyp, medusa and cyst of T. dohrnii were sequenced through Illumina RNA-sequencing and assembled using a de novo approach, resulting in 92,569, 74,639 and 86,373 contigs, respectively. The transcriptomes were annotated and comparative analyses among the stages identified biological networks that were significantly over-and under-expressed in the cyst as compared to the polyp and medusa stages. Biological processes that occur at the cyst stage such as telomerase activity, regulation of transposable elements and DNA repair systems, and suppression of cell signaling pathways, mitotic cell division and cellular differentiation and development may be involved in T. dohrnii's reverse development and transdifferentiation. Our results are the first attempt to understand T. dohrnii's life-cycle reversal at the genetic level, and indicate possible avenues of future research on developmental strategies, cell transdifferentiation, and aging using T. dohrnii as a non-traditional in vivo system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yui Matsumoto
- Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX and
| | - Stefano Piraino
- Università del Salento, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, 73100 Lecce, Italy
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14
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Abstract
The freshwater polyp Hydra provides a potent model system for investigating the conditions that promote wound healing, reactivation of a developmental process and, ultimately, regeneration of an amputated body part. Hydra polyps can also be dissociated to the single cell level and can regenerate a complete body axis from aggregates, behaving as natural organoids. In recent years, the ability to exploit Hydra has been expanded with the advent of new live-imaging approaches, genetic manipulations that include stable transgenesis, gene silencing and genome editing, and the accumulation of high-throughput omics data. In this Primer, we provide an overview of Hydra as a model system for studying regeneration, highlighting recent results that question the classical self-enhancement and long-range inhibition model supposed to drive Hydra regeneration. We underscore the need for integrative explanations incorporating biochemical as well as mechanical signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias C Vogg
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, 30 Quai Ernest Ansermet, CH-1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Brigitte Galliot
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, 30 Quai Ernest Ansermet, CH-1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Charisios D Tsiairis
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
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15
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Mansour TA, Rosenthal JJC, Brown CT, Roberson LM. Correction to: Transcriptome of the caribbean stony coral Porites astreoides from three developmental stages. Gigascience 2019; 8:5626376. [PMID: 31730696 PMCID: PMC6857687 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giz048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tamer A Mansour
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, University of California, Davis, California, USA.,Department of Clinical Pathology, College of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Joshua J C Rosenthal
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA.,Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
| | - C Titus Brown
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Loretta M Roberson
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Environmental Science, University of Puerto Rico Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
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16
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Hartl M, Glasauer S, Gufler S, Raffeiner A, Puglisi K, Breuker K, Bister K, Hobmayer B. Differential regulation of myc homologs by Wnt/β-Catenin signaling in the early metazoan Hydra. FEBS J 2019; 286:2295-2310. [PMID: 30869835 PMCID: PMC6618008 DOI: 10.1111/febs.14812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Revised: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The c‐Myc protein is a transcription factor with oncogenic potential controlling fundamental cellular processes. Homologs of the human c‐myc protooncogene have been identified in the early diploblastic cnidarian Hydra (myc1, myc2). The ancestral Myc1 and Myc2 proteins display the principal design and biochemical properties of their vertebrate derivatives, suggesting that important Myc functions arose very early in metazoan evolution. c‐Myc is part of a transcription factor network regulated by several upstream pathways implicated in oncogenesis and development. One of these signaling cascades is the Wnt/β‐Catenin pathway driving cell differentiation and developmental patterning, but also tumorigenic processes including aberrant transcriptional activation of c‐myc in several human cancers. Here, we show that genetic or pharmacological stimulation of Wnt/β‐Catenin signaling in Hydra is accompanied by specific downregulation of myc1 at mRNA and protein levels. The myc1 and myc2 promoter regions contain consensus binding sites for the transcription factor Tcf, and Hydra Tcf binds to the regulatory regions of both promoters. The myc1 promoter is also specifically repressed in the presence of ectopic Hydra β‐Catenin/Tcf in avian cell culture. We propose that Hydra myc1 is a negative Wnt signaling target, in contrast to vertebrate c‐myc, which is one of the best studied genes activated by this pathway. On the contrary, myc2 is not suppressed by ectopic β‐Catenin in Hydra and presumably represents the structural and functional c‐myc ortholog. Our data implicate that the connection between β‐Catenin‐mediated signaling and myc1 and myc2 gene regulation is an ancestral metazoan feature. Its impact on decision making in Hydra interstitial stem cells is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Hartl
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Innsbruck, Austria.,Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Stella Glasauer
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Austria.,Institute of Zoology, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Sabine Gufler
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Austria.,Institute of Zoology, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Andrea Raffeiner
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Innsbruck, Austria.,Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Kane Puglisi
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Innsbruck, Austria.,Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Kathrin Breuker
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Austria.,Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Klaus Bister
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Innsbruck, Austria.,Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Bert Hobmayer
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Austria.,Institute of Zoology, University of Innsbruck, Austria
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17
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Stabili L, Parisi MG, Parrinello D, Cammarata M. Cnidarian Interaction with Microbial Communities: From Aid to Animal's Health to Rejection Responses. Mar Drugs 2018; 16:E296. [PMID: 30142922 PMCID: PMC6164757 DOI: 10.3390/md16090296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 08/11/2018] [Accepted: 08/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The phylum Cnidaria is an ancient branch in the tree of metazoans. Several species exert a remarkable longevity, suggesting the existence of a developed and consistent defense mechanism of the innate immunity capable to overcome the potential repeated exposure to microbial pathogenic agents. Increasing evidence indicates that the innate immune system in Cnidarians is not only involved in the disruption of harmful microorganisms, but also is crucial in structuring tissue-associated microbial communities that are essential components of the Cnidarian holobiont and useful to the animal's health for several functions, including metabolism, immune defense, development, and behavior. Sometimes, the shifts in the normal microbiota may be used as "early" bio-indicators of both environmental changes and/or animal disease. Here the Cnidarians relationships with microbial communities and the potential biotechnological applications are summarized and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loredana Stabili
- Istituto per l'Ambiente Marino Costiero, U.O.S. di Taranto, CNR, Via Roma 3, 74123 Taranto, Italy.
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, via Prov.le Lecce Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
| | - Maria Giovanna Parisi
- Laboratory of Marine Immunobiology, Dipartimento delle Scienze della Terra e del Mare, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 16, 90128 Palermo, Italy.
| | - Daniela Parrinello
- Laboratory of Marine Immunobiology, Dipartimento delle Scienze della Terra e del Mare, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 16, 90128 Palermo, Italy.
| | - Matteo Cammarata
- Laboratory of Marine Immunobiology, Dipartimento delle Scienze della Terra e del Mare, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 16, 90128 Palermo, Italy.
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18
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Lommel M, Strompen J, Hellewell AL, Balasubramanian GP, Christofidou ED, Thomson AR, Boyle AL, Woolfson DN, Puglisi K, Hartl M, Holstein TW, Adams JC, Özbek S. Hydra Mesoglea Proteome Identifies Thrombospondin as a Conserved Component Active in Head Organizer Restriction. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11753. [PMID: 30082916 PMCID: PMC6079037 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-30035-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Thrombospondins (TSPs) are multidomain glycoproteins with complex matricellular functions in tissue homeostasis and remodeling. We describe a novel role of TSP as a Wnt signaling target in the basal eumetazoan Hydra. Proteome analysis identified Hydra magnipapillata TSP (HmTSP) as a major component of the cnidarian mesoglea. In general, the domain organization of cnidarian TSPs is related to the pentameric TSPs of bilaterians, and in phylogenetic analyses cnidarian TSPs formed a separate clade of high sequence diversity. HmTSP expression in polyps was restricted to the hypostomal tip and tentacle bases that harbor Wnt-regulated organizer tissues. In the hypostome, HmTSP- and Wnt3-expressing cells were identical or in close vicinity to each other, and regions of ectopic tentacle formation induced by pharmacological β-Catenin activation (Alsterpaullone) corresponded to foci of HmTSP expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) confirmed binding of Hydra TCF to conserved elements in the HmTSP promotor region. Accordingly, β-Catenin knockdown by siRNAs reduced normal HmTSP expression at the head organizer. In contrast, knockdown of HmTSP expression led to increased numbers of ectopic organizers in Alsterpaullone-treated animals, indicating a negative regulatory function. Our data suggest an unexpected role for HmTSP as a feedback inhibitor of Wnt signaling during Hydra body axis patterning and maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Lommel
- University of Heidelberg, Centre for Organismal Studies, Department of Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jennifer Strompen
- University of Heidelberg, Centre for Organismal Studies, Department of Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andrew L Hellewell
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Gnana Prakash Balasubramanian
- University of Heidelberg, Centre for Organismal Studies, Department of Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.,G200 Division of Applied Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Institute (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 580, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elena D Christofidou
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Andrew R Thomson
- School of Chemistry, Cantock's Close, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK.,School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Joseph Black Building, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, Scotland
| | - Aimee L Boyle
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK.,School of Chemistry, Cantock's Close, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK.,Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, POB 9502, NL-2300, RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Derek N Woolfson
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK.,School of Chemistry, Cantock's Close, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK
| | - Kane Puglisi
- Institute of Biochemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Markus Hartl
- Institute of Biochemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Thomas W Holstein
- University of Heidelberg, Centre for Organismal Studies, Department of Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Josephine C Adams
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK.
| | - Suat Özbek
- University of Heidelberg, Centre for Organismal Studies, Department of Molecular Evolution and Genomics, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
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19
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Melo Clavijo J, Donath A, Serôdio J, Christa G. Polymorphic adaptations in metazoans to establish and maintain photosymbioses. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:2006-2020. [PMID: 29808579 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Revised: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Mutualistic symbioses are common throughout the animal kingdom. Rather unusual is a form of symbiosis, photosymbiosis, where animals are symbiotic with photoautotrophic organisms. Photosymbiosis is found among sponges, cnidarians, flatworms, molluscs, ascidians and even some amphibians. Generally the animal host harbours a phototrophic partner, usually a cyanobacteria or a unicellular alga. An exception to this rule is found in some sea slugs, which only retain the chloroplasts of the algal food source and maintain them photosynthetically active in their own cytosol - a phenomenon called 'functional kleptoplasty'. Research has focused largely on the biodiversity of photosymbiotic species across a range of taxa. However, many questions with regard to the evolution of the ability to establish and maintain a photosymbiosis are still unanswered. To date, attempts to understand genome adaptations which could potentially lead to the evolution of photosymbioses have only been performed in cnidarians. This knowledge gap for other systems is mainly due to a lack of genetic information, both for non-symbiotic and symbiotic species. Considering non-photosymbiotic species is, however, important to understand the factors that make symbiotic species so unique. Herein we provide an overview of the diversity of photosymbioses across the animal kingdom and discuss potential scenarios for the evolution of this association in different lineages. We stress that the evolution of photosymbiosis is probably based on genome adaptations, which (i) lead to recognition of the symbiont to establish the symbiosis, and (ii) are needed to maintain the symbiosis. We hope to stimulate research involving sequencing the genomes of various key taxa to increase the genomic resources needed to understand the most fundamental question: how have animals evolved the ability to establish and maintain a photosymbiosis?
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Melo Clavijo
- Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb), Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, Bonn, 53113, Germany
| | - Alexander Donath
- Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb), Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, Bonn, 53113, Germany
| | - João Serôdio
- Department of Biology and Center for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Campus Santiago, Aveiro, 3810-192, Portugal
| | - Gregor Christa
- Center for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb), Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, Bonn, 53113, Germany.,Department of Biology and Center for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Campus Santiago, Aveiro, 3810-192, Portugal
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20
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Abstract
Medusae (aka jellyfish) have multiphasic life cycles and a propensity to adapt to, and proliferate in, a plethora of aquatic habitats, connecting them to a number of ecological and societal issues. Now, in the midst of the genomics era, affordable next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms coupled with publically available bioinformatics tools present the much-anticipated opportunity to explore medusa taxa as potential model systems. Genome-wide studies of medusae would provide a remarkable opportunity to address long-standing questions related to the biology, physiology, and nervous system of some of the earliest pelagic animals. Furthermore, medusae have become key targets in the exploration of marine natural products, in the development of marine biomarkers, and for their application to the biomedical and robotics fields. Presented here is a synopsis of the current state of medusa research, highlighting insights provided by multi-omics studies, as well as existing knowledge gaps, calling upon the scientific community to adopt a number of medusa taxa as model systems in forthcoming research endeavors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl Lewis Ames
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, NW, Washington, DC, USA.
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21
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Marine genomics: News and views. Mar Genomics 2017; 31:1-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.margen.2016.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2016] [Revised: 09/08/2016] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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22
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Deep Learning to Analyze RNA-Seq Gene Expression Data. ADVANCES IN COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-59147-6_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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23
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Huang C, Morlighem JÉR, Zhou H, Lima ÉP, Gomes PB, Cai J, Lou I, Pérez CD, Lee SM, Rádis-Baptista G. The Transcriptome of the Zoanthid Protopalythoa variabilis (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) Predicts a Basal Repertoire of Toxin-like and Venom-Auxiliary Polypeptides. Genome Biol Evol 2016; 8:3045-3064. [PMID: 27566758 PMCID: PMC5630949 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evw204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Protopalythoa is a zoanthid that, together with thousands of predominantly marine species, such as hydra, jellyfish, and sea anemones, composes the oldest eumetazoan phylum, i.e., the Cnidaria. Some of these species, such as sea wasps and sea anemones, are highly venomous organisms that can produce deadly toxins for preying, for defense or for territorial disputes. Despite the fact that hundreds of organic and polypeptide toxins have been characterized from sea anemones and jellyfish, practically nothing is known about the toxin repertoire in zoanthids. Here, based on a transcriptome analysis of the zoanthid Protopalythoa variabilis, numerous predicted polypeptides with canonical venom protein features are identified. These polypeptides comprise putative proteins from different toxin families: neurotoxic peptides, hemostatic and hemorrhagic toxins, membrane-active (pore-forming) proteins, protease inhibitors, mixed-function venom enzymes, and venom auxiliary proteins. The synthesis and functional analysis of two of these predicted toxin products, one related to the ShK/Aurelin family and the other to a recently discovered anthozoan toxin, displayed potent in vivo neurotoxicity that impaired swimming in larval zebrafish. Altogether, the complex array of venom-related transcripts that are identified in P. variabilis, some of which are first reported in Cnidaria, provides novel insight into the toxin distribution among species and might contribute to the understanding of composition and evolution of venom polypeptides in toxiferous animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Jean-Étienne Rl Morlighem
- Northeast Biotechnology Network (RENORBIO), Post-graduation program in Biotechnology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute for Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Hefeng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Érica P Lima
- Centro Acadêmico de Vitoria, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Vitória de Santo Antão, Brazil
| | - Paula B Gomes
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
| | - Jing Cai
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Inchio Lou
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Carlos D Pérez
- Centro Acadêmico de Vitoria, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Vitória de Santo Antão, Brazil
| | - Simon Ming Lee
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Gandhi Rádis-Baptista
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute for Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
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24
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Rodrigues M, Ostermann T, Kremeser L, Lindner H, Beisel C, Berezikov E, Hobmayer B, Ladurner P. Profiling of adhesive-related genes in the freshwater cnidarian Hydra magnipapillata by transcriptomics and proteomics. BIOFOULING 2016; 32:1115-1129. [PMID: 27661452 PMCID: PMC5080974 DOI: 10.1080/08927014.2016.1233325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The differentiated ectodermal basal disc cells of the freshwater cnidarian Hydra secrete proteinaceous glue to temporarily attach themselves to underwater surfaces. Using transcriptome sequencing and a basal disc-specific RNA-seq combined with in situ hybridisation a highly specific set of candidate adhesive genes was identified. A de novo transcriptome assembly of 55,849 transcripts (>200 bp) was generated using paired-end and single reads from Illumina libraries constructed from different polyp conditions. Differential transcriptomics and spatial gene expression analysis by in situ hybridisation allowed the identification of 40 transcripts exclusively expressed in the ectodermal basal disc cells. Comparisons after mass spectrometry analysis of the adhesive secretion showed a total of 21 transcripts to be basal disc specific and eventually secreted through basal disc cells. This is the first study to survey adhesion-related genes in Hydra. The candidate list presented in this study provides a platform for unravelling the molecular mechanism of underwater adhesion of Hydra.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Rodrigues
- Institute of Zoology and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Thomas Ostermann
- Institute of Zoology and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Leopold Kremeser
- Division of Clinical Biochemistry, Biocenter, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Herbert Lindner
- Division of Clinical Biochemistry, Biocenter, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Eugene Berezikov
- ERIBA, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bert Hobmayer
- Institute of Zoology and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Peter Ladurner
- Institute of Zoology and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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25
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Abstract
Background RNA sequencing takes advantage of the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies for analyzing RNA transcript counts with an excellent accuracy. Trying to interpret this huge amount of data in biological information is still a key issue, reason for which the creation of web-resources useful for their analysis is highly desiderable. Results Starting from a previous work, Transcriptator, we present the Atlas of Hydra’s vulgaris, an extensible web tool in which its complete transcriptome is annotated. In order to provide to the users an advantageous resource that include the whole functional annotated transcriptome of Hydra vulgaris water polyp, we implemented the Atlas web-tool contains 31.988 accesible and downloadable transcripts of this non-reference model organism. Conclusion Atlas, as a freely available resource, can be considered a valuable tool to rapidly retrieve functional annotation for transcripts differentially expressed in Hydra vulgaris exposed to the distinct experimental treatments. Web resource URL http://www-labgtp.na.icar.cnr.it/Atlas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Evangelista
- Laboratory for Genomics, Transcriptomics and Proteomics (LAB-GTP), High Performance Computing and Networking Institute (ICAR), National Research Council of Italy (CNR) Napoli, Italy, Via Pietro Castellino, Naples, 111, Italy.
| | - Kumar Parijat Tripathi
- Laboratory for Genomics, Transcriptomics and Proteomics (LAB-GTP), High Performance Computing and Networking Institute (ICAR), National Research Council of Italy (CNR) Napoli, Italy, Via Pietro Castellino, Naples, 111, Italy
| | - Mario Rosario Guarracino
- Laboratory for Genomics, Transcriptomics and Proteomics (LAB-GTP), High Performance Computing and Networking Institute (ICAR), National Research Council of Italy (CNR) Napoli, Italy, Via Pietro Castellino, Naples, 111, Italy
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26
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Jellyfish Bioactive Compounds: Methods for Wet-Lab Work. Mar Drugs 2016; 14:md14040075. [PMID: 27077869 PMCID: PMC4849079 DOI: 10.3390/md14040075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2015] [Revised: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 02/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of bioactive compounds from marine animals has provided, over time, an endless source of interesting molecules. Jellyfish are commonly targets of study due to their toxic proteins. However, there is a gap in reviewing successful wet-lab methods employed in these animals, which compromises the fast progress in the detection of related biomolecules. Here, we provide a compilation of the most effective wet-lab methodologies for jellyfish venom extraction prior to proteomic analysis-separation, identification and toxicity assays. This includes SDS-PAGE, 2DE, gel chromatography, HPLC, DEAE, LC-MS, MALDI, Western blot, hemolytic assay, antimicrobial assay and protease activity assay. For a more comprehensive approach, jellyfish toxicity studies should further consider transcriptome sequencing. We reviewed such methodologies and other genomic techniques used prior to the deep sequencing of transcripts, including RNA extraction, construction of cDNA libraries and RACE. Overall, we provide an overview of the most promising methods and their successful implementation for optimizing time and effort when studying jellyfish.
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27
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Tripathi KP, Evangelista D, Zuccaro A, Guarracino MR. Transcriptator: An Automated Computational Pipeline to Annotate Assembled Reads and Identify Non Coding RNA. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0140268. [PMID: 26581084 PMCID: PMC4651556 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA-seq is a new tool to measure RNA transcript counts, using high-throughput sequencing at an extraordinary accuracy. It provides quantitative means to explore the transcriptome of an organism of interest. However, interpreting this extremely large data into biological knowledge is a problem, and biologist-friendly tools are lacking. In our lab, we developed Transcriptator, a web application based on a computational Python pipeline with a user-friendly Java interface. This pipeline uses the web services available for BLAST (Basis Local Search Alignment Tool), QuickGO and DAVID (Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery) tools. It offers a report on statistical analysis of functional and Gene Ontology (GO) annotation's enrichment. It helps users to identify enriched biological themes, particularly GO terms, pathways, domains, gene/proteins features and protein-protein interactions related informations. It clusters the transcripts based on functional annotations and generates a tabular report for functional and gene ontology annotations for each submitted transcript to the web server. The implementation of QuickGo web-services in our pipeline enable the users to carry out GO-Slim analysis, whereas the integration of PORTRAIT (Prediction of transcriptomic non coding RNA (ncRNA) by ab initio methods) helps to identify the non coding RNAs and their regulatory role in transcriptome. In summary, Transcriptator is a useful software for both NGS and array data. It helps the users to characterize the de-novo assembled reads, obtained from NGS experiments for non-referenced organisms, while it also performs the functional enrichment analysis of differentially expressed transcripts/genes for both RNA-seq and micro-array experiments. It generates easy to read tables and interactive charts for better understanding of the data. The pipeline is modular in nature, and provides an opportunity to add new plugins in the future. Web application is freely available at: http://www-labgtp.na.icar.cnr.it/Transcriptator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kumar Parijat Tripathi
- Laboratory for Genomics, Transcriptomics and Proteomics (LAB-GTP), High Performance Computing and Networking Institute (ICAR), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via Pietro Castellino, 111, Napoli, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Daniela Evangelista
- Laboratory for Genomics, Transcriptomics and Proteomics (LAB-GTP), High Performance Computing and Networking Institute (ICAR), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via Pietro Castellino, 111, Napoli, Italy
| | - Antonio Zuccaro
- Laboratory for Genomics, Transcriptomics and Proteomics (LAB-GTP), High Performance Computing and Networking Institute (ICAR), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via Pietro Castellino, 111, Napoli, Italy
| | - Mario Rosario Guarracino
- Laboratory for Genomics, Transcriptomics and Proteomics (LAB-GTP), High Performance Computing and Networking Institute (ICAR), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via Pietro Castellino, 111, Napoli, Italy
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Buzgariu W, Al Haddad S, Tomczyk S, Wenger Y, Galliot B. Multi-functionality and plasticity characterize epithelial cells in Hydra. Tissue Barriers 2015; 3:e1068908. [PMID: 26716072 PMCID: PMC4681288 DOI: 10.1080/21688370.2015.1068908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2015] [Revised: 06/23/2015] [Accepted: 06/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Epithelial sheets, a synapomorphy of all metazoans but porifers, are present as 2 layers in cnidarians, ectoderm and endoderm, joined at their basal side by an extra-cellular matrix named mesoglea. In the Hydra polyp, epithelial cells of the body column are unipotent stem cells that continuously self-renew and concomitantly express their epitheliomuscular features. These multifunctional contractile cells maintain homeostasis by providing a protective physical barrier, by digesting nutrients, by selecting a stable microbiota, and by rapidly closing wounds. In addition, epithelial cells are highly plastic, supporting the adaptation of Hydra to physiological and environmental changes, such as long starvation periods where survival relies on a highly dynamic autophagy flux. Epithelial cells also play key roles in developmental processes as evidenced by the organizer activity they develop to promote budding and regeneration. We propose here an integrative view of the homeostatic and developmental aspects of epithelial plasticity in Hydra.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Buzgariu
- Department of Genetics and Evolution; Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (IGe3); Faculty of Sciences; University of Geneva; Geneva, Switzerland
| | - S Al Haddad
- Department of Genetics and Evolution; Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (IGe3); Faculty of Sciences; University of Geneva; Geneva, Switzerland
| | - S Tomczyk
- Department of Genetics and Evolution; Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (IGe3); Faculty of Sciences; University of Geneva; Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Y Wenger
- Department of Genetics and Evolution; Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (IGe3); Faculty of Sciences; University of Geneva; Geneva, Switzerland
| | - B Galliot
- Department of Genetics and Evolution; Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (IGe3); Faculty of Sciences; University of Geneva; Geneva, Switzerland
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De Novo Assembly and Characterization of Four Anthozoan (Phylum Cnidaria) Transcriptomes. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2015; 5:2441-52. [PMID: 26384772 PMCID: PMC4632063 DOI: 10.1534/g3.115.020164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Many nonmodel species exemplify important biological questions but lack the sequence resources required to study the genes and genomic regions underlying traits of interest. Reef-building corals are famously sensitive to rising seawater temperatures, motivating ongoing research into their stress responses and long-term prospects in a changing climate. A comprehensive understanding of these processes will require extending beyond the sequenced coral genome (Acropora digitifera) to encompass diverse coral species and related anthozoans. Toward that end, we have assembled and annotated reference transcriptomes to develop catalogs of gene sequences for three scleractinian corals (Fungia scutaria, Montastraea cavernosa, Seriatopora hystrix) and a temperate anemone (Anthopleura elegantissima). High-throughput sequencing of cDNA libraries produced ~20-30 million reads per sample, and de novo assembly of these reads produced ~75,000-110,000 transcripts from each sample with size distributions (mean ~1.4 kb, N50 ~2 kb), comparable to the distribution of gene models from the coral genome (mean ~1.7 kb, N50 ~2.2 kb). Each assembly includes matches for more than half the gene models from A. digitifera (54-67%) and many reasonably complete transcripts (~5300-6700) spanning nearly the entire gene (ortholog hit ratios ≥0.75). The catalogs of gene sequences developed in this study made it possible to identify hundreds to thousands of orthologs across diverse scleractinian species and related taxa. We used these sequences for phylogenetic inference, recovering known relationships and demonstrating superior performance over phylogenetic trees constructed using single mitochondrial loci. The resources developed in this study provide gene sequences and genetic markers for several anthozoan species. To enhance the utility of these resources for the research community, we developed searchable databases enabling researchers to rapidly recover sequences for genes of interest. Our analysis of de novo assembly quality highlights metrics that we expect will be useful for evaluating the relative quality of other de novo transcriptome assemblies. The identification of orthologous sequences and phylogenetic reconstruction demonstrates the feasibility of these methods for clarifying the substantial uncertainties in the existing scleractinian phylogeny.
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Ku C, Nelson-Sathi S, Roettger M, Sousa FL, Lockhart PJ, Bryant D, Hazkani-Covo E, McInerney JO, Landan G, Martin WF. Endosymbiotic origin and differential loss of eukaryotic genes. Nature 2015; 524:427-32. [PMID: 26287458 DOI: 10.1038/nature14963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 191] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2015] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Chloroplasts arose from cyanobacteria, mitochondria arose from proteobacteria. Both organelles have conserved their prokaryotic biochemistry, but their genomes are reduced, and most organelle proteins are encoded in the nucleus. Endosymbiotic theory posits that bacterial genes in eukaryotic genomes entered the eukaryotic lineage via organelle ancestors. It predicts episodic influx of prokaryotic genes into the eukaryotic lineage, with acquisition corresponding to endosymbiotic events. Eukaryotic genome sequences, however, increasingly implicate lateral gene transfer, both from prokaryotes to eukaryotes and among eukaryotes, as a source of gene content variation in eukaryotic genomes, which predicts continuous, lineage-specific acquisition of prokaryotic genes in divergent eukaryotic groups. Here we discriminate between these two alternatives by clustering and phylogenetic analysis of eukaryotic gene families having prokaryotic homologues. Our results indicate (1) that gene transfer from bacteria to eukaryotes is episodic, as revealed by gene distributions, and coincides with major evolutionary transitions at the origin of chloroplasts and mitochondria; (2) that gene inheritance in eukaryotes is vertical, as revealed by extensive topological comparison, sparse gene distributions stemming from differential loss; and (3) that continuous, lineage-specific lateral gene transfer, although it sometimes occurs, does not contribute to long-term gene content evolution in eukaryotic genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuan Ku
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Shijulal Nelson-Sathi
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Mayo Roettger
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Filipa L Sousa
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Peter J Lockhart
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North 4474, New Zealand
| | - David Bryant
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Einat Hazkani-Covo
- Department of Natural and Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana 43107, Israel
| | - James O McInerney
- Department of Biology, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland.,Michael Smith Building, The University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Giddy Landan
- Genomic Microbiology Group, Institute of Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - William F Martin
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
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Petersen HO, Höger SK, Looso M, Lengfeld T, Kuhn A, Warnken U, Nishimiya-Fujisawa C, Schnölzer M, Krüger M, Özbek S, Simakov O, Holstein TW. A Comprehensive Transcriptomic and Proteomic Analysis of Hydra Head Regeneration. Mol Biol Evol 2015; 32:1928-47. [PMID: 25841488 PMCID: PMC4833066 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msv079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The cnidarian freshwater polyp Hydra sp. exhibits an unparalleled regeneration capacity in the animal kingdom. Using an integrative transcriptomic and stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture proteomic/phosphoproteomic approach, we studied stem cell-based regeneration in Hydra polyps. As major contributors to head regeneration, we identified diverse signaling pathways adopted for the regeneration response as well as enriched novel genes. Our global analysis reveals two distinct molecular cascades: an early injury response and a subsequent, signaling driven patterning of the regenerating tissue. A key factor of the initial injury response is a general stabilization of proteins and a net upregulation of transcripts, which is followed by a subsequent activation cascade of signaling molecules including Wnts and transforming growth factor (TGF) beta-related factors. We observed moderate overlap between the factors contributing to proteomic and transcriptomic responses suggesting a decoupled regulation between the transcriptional and translational levels. Our data also indicate that interstitial stem cells and their derivatives (e.g., neurons) have no major role in Hydra head regeneration. Remarkably, we found an enrichment of evolutionarily more recent genes in the early regeneration response, whereas conserved genes are more enriched in the late phase. In addition, genes specific to the early injury response were enriched in transposon insertions. Genetic dynamicity and taxon-specific factors might therefore play a hitherto underestimated role in Hydra regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hendrik O Petersen
- Centre for Organismal Studies (COS), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefanie K Höger
- Centre for Organismal Studies (COS), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mario Looso
- Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Tobias Lengfeld
- Centre for Organismal Studies (COS), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anne Kuhn
- Centre for Organismal Studies (COS), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Uwe Warnken
- Functional Proteome Analysis Unit, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Chiemi Nishimiya-Fujisawa
- Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience, National Institute for Basic Biology, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Martina Schnölzer
- Functional Proteome Analysis Unit, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marcus Krüger
- Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany CECAD, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - Suat Özbek
- Centre for Organismal Studies (COS), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Oleg Simakov
- Centre for Organismal Studies (COS), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany Molecular Genetics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Thomas W Holstein
- Centre for Organismal Studies (COS), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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Pereira-Neves A, Gonzaga L, Menna-Barreto RFS, Benchimol M. Characterisation of 20S Proteasome in Tritrichomonas foetus and Its Role during the Cell Cycle and Transformation into Endoflagellar Form. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0129165. [PMID: 26047503 PMCID: PMC4457923 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Accepted: 05/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteasomes are intracellular complexes that control selective protein degradation in organisms ranging from Archaea to higher eukaryotes. These structures have multiple proteolytic activities that are required for cell differentiation, replication and maintaining cellular homeostasis. Here, we document the presence of the 20S proteasome in the protist parasite Tritrichomonas foetus. Complementary techniques, such as a combination of whole genome sequencing technologies, bioinformatics algorithms, cell fractionation and biochemistry and microscopy approaches were used to characterise the 20S proteasome of T. foetus. The 14 homologues of the typical eukaryotic proteasome subunits were identified in the T. foetus genome. Alignment analyses showed that the main regulatory and catalytic domains of the proteasome were conserved in the predicted amino acid sequences from T. foetus-proteasome subunits. Immunofluorescence assays using an anti-proteasome antibody revealed a labelling distributed throughout the cytosol as punctate cytoplasmic structures and in the perinuclear region. Electron microscopy of a T. foetus-proteasome-enriched fraction confirmed the presence of particles that resembled the typical eukaryotic 20S proteasome. Fluorogenic assays using specific peptidyl substrates detected presence of the three typical peptidase activities of eukaryotic proteasomes in T. foetus. As expected, these peptidase activities were inhibited by lactacystin, a well-known specific proteasome inhibitor, and were not affected by inhibitors of serine or cysteine proteases. During the transformation of T. foetus to endoflagellar form (EFF), also known as pseudocyst, we observed correlations between the EFF formation rates, increases in the proteasome activities and reduced levels of ubiquitin-protein conjugates. The growth, cell cycle and EFF transformation of T. foetus were inhibited after treatment with lactacystin in a dose-dependent manner. Lactacystin treatment also resulted in an accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins and caused increase in the amount of endoplasmic reticulum membranes in the parasite. Taken together, our results suggest that the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is required for cell cycle and EFF transformation in T. foetus.
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MESH Headings
- Acetylcysteine/analogs & derivatives
- Acetylcysteine/pharmacology
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Blotting, Western
- Cell Cycle
- Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors/pharmacology
- Endoplasmic Reticulum/drug effects
- Endoplasmic Reticulum/metabolism
- Endoplasmic Reticulum/ultrastructure
- Flagella/metabolism
- Flagella/ultrastructure
- Life Cycle Stages/drug effects
- Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
- Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
- Microscopy, Fluorescence
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Phylogeny
- Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex/classification
- Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex/genetics
- Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex/metabolism
- Protein Subunits/antagonists & inhibitors
- Protein Subunits/genetics
- Protein Subunits/metabolism
- Protozoan Proteins/genetics
- Protozoan Proteins/metabolism
- Protozoan Proteins/ultrastructure
- Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
- Spores, Protozoan/drug effects
- Spores, Protozoan/metabolism
- Spores, Protozoan/ultrastructure
- Tritrichomonas foetus/genetics
- Tritrichomonas foetus/growth & development
- Tritrichomonas foetus/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Pereira-Neves
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Morfológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Fiocruz, Centro de Pesquisa Aggeu Magalhães, Departamento de Microbiologia, Laboratório de Microbiologia e Biologia Celular, Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Luiz Gonzaga
- Laboratório Nacional de Computação Cientifica (LNCC/MCT), Petrópolis, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Marlene Benchimol
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- UNIGRANRIO- Universidade do Grande Rio, Duque de Caxias, RJ, Brazil
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Mbandi SK, Hesse U, van Heusden P, Christoffels A. Inferring bona fide transfrags in RNA-Seq derived-transcriptome assemblies of non-model organisms. BMC Bioinformatics 2015; 16:58. [PMID: 25880035 PMCID: PMC4344733 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-015-0492-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Accepted: 02/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND De novo transcriptome assembly of short transcribed fragments (transfrags) produced from sequencing-by-synthesis technologies often results in redundant datasets with differing levels of unassembled, partially assembled or mis-assembled transcripts. Post-assembly processing intended to reduce redundancy typically involves reassembly or clustering of assembled sequences. However, these approaches are mostly based on common word heuristics and often create clusters of biologically unrelated sequences, resulting in loss of unique transfrags annotations and propagation of mis-assemblies. RESULTS Here, we propose a structured framework that consists of a few steps in pipeline architecture for Inferring Functionally Relevant Assembly-derived Transcripts (IFRAT). IFRAT combines 1) removal of identical subsequences, 2) error tolerant CDS prediction, 3) identification of coding potential, and 4) complements BLAST with a multiple domain architecture annotation that reduces non-specific domain annotation. We demonstrate that independent of the assembler, IFRAT selects bona fide transfrags (with CDS and coding potential) from the transcriptome assembly of a model organism without relying on post-assembly clustering or reassembly. The robustness of IFRAT is inferred on RNA-Seq data of Neurospora crassa assembled using de Bruijn graph-based assemblers, in single (Trinity and Oases-25) and multiple (Oases-Merge and additive or pooled) k-mer modes. Single k-mer assemblies contained fewer transfrags compared to the multiple k-mer assemblies. However, Trinity identified a comparable number of predicted coding sequence and gene loci to Oases pooled assembly. IFRAT selects bona fide transfrags representing over 94% of cumulative BLAST-derived functional annotations of the unfiltered assemblies. Between 4-6% are lost when orphan transfrags are excluded and this represents only a tiny fraction of annotation derived from functional transference by sequence similarity. The median length of bona fide transfrags ranged from 1.5kb (Trinity) to 2kb (Oases), which is consistent with the average coding sequence length in fungi. The fraction of transfrags that could be associated with gene ontology terms ranged from 33-50%, which is also high for domain based annotation. We showed that unselected transfrags were mostly truncated and represent sequences from intronic, untranslated (5' and 3') regions and non-coding gene loci. CONCLUSIONS IFRAT simplifies post-assembly processing providing a reference transcriptome enriched with functionally relevant assembly-derived transcripts for non-model organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley Kimbung Mbandi
- South African Medical Research Council Bioinformatics Unit, South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.
| | - Uljana Hesse
- South African Medical Research Council Bioinformatics Unit, South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.
| | - Peter van Heusden
- South African Medical Research Council Bioinformatics Unit, South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.
| | - Alan Christoffels
- South African Medical Research Council Bioinformatics Unit, South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.
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Ocampo ID, Cadavid Gutierrez LF. MECHANISMS OF IMMUNE RESPONSES IN CNIDARIANS. ACTA BIOLÓGICA COLOMBIANA 2014. [DOI: 10.15446/abc.v20n2.46728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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Murthy M, Ram JL. Invertebrates as model organisms for research on aging biology. INVERTEBR REPROD DEV 2014; 59:1-4. [PMID: 26241448 PMCID: PMC4464166 DOI: 10.1080/07924259.2014.970002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2014] [Accepted: 09/24/2014] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Invertebrate model systems, such as nematodes and fruit flies, have provided valuable information about the genetics and cellular biology involved in aging. However, limitations of these simple, genetically tractable organisms suggest the need for other model systems, some of them invertebrate, to facilitate further advances in the understanding of mechanisms of aging and longevity in mammals, including humans. This paper introduces 10 review articles about the use of invertebrate model systems for the study of aging by authors who participated in an 'NIA-NIH symposium on aging in invertebrate model systems' at the 2013 International Congress for Invertebrate Reproduction and Development. In contrast to the highly derived characteristics of nematodes and fruit flies as members of the superphylum Ecdysozoa, cnidarians, such as Hydra, are more 'basal' organisms that have a greater number of genetic orthologs in common with humans. Moreover, some other new model systems, such as the urochordate Botryllus schlosseri, the tunicate Ciona, and the sea urchins (Echinodermata) are members of the Deuterostomia, the same superphylum that includes all vertebrates, and thus have mechanisms that are likely to be more closely related to those occurring in humans. Additional characteristics of these new model systems, such as the recent development of new molecular and genetic tools and a more similar pattern to humans of regeneration and stem cell function suggest that these new model systems may have unique advantages for the study of mechanisms of aging and longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahadev Murthy
- Division of Aging Biology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda , MD 20892 , USA
| | - Jeffrey L Ram
- Department of Physiology, Wayne State University , Detroit , MI 48201 , USA
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Aya K, Kobayashi M, Tanaka J, Ohyanagi H, Suzuki T, Yano K, Takano T, Yano K, Matsuoka M. De Novo Transcriptome Assembly of a Fern, Lygodium japonicum, and a Web Resource Database, Ljtrans DB. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 56:e5. [DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcu184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Hanley SJ, Karp A. Genetic strategies for dissecting complex traits in biomass willows (Salix spp.). TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2014; 34:1167-80. [PMID: 24218244 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpt089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Willows are highly diverse catkin-bearing trees and shrubs of the genus Salix. They occur in many growth forms, from tall trees to creeping alpines, and successfully occupy a wide variety of ecological niches. Shrubby willows (sub-genus Vetrix) have many characteristics that render them suited to cultivation in much faster growth cycles than conventional forestry. They respond well to coppicing, can be propagated vegetatively as cuttings and achieve rapid growth with low fertilizer inputs. As a result, willows grown as short rotation coppice are now among the leading commercially grown biomass crops in temperate regions. However, although willows have a long history of cultivation for traditional uses, their industrial use is relatively recent and, compared with major arable crops, they are largely undomesticated. Breeding programmes initiated to improve willow as a biomass crop achieved a doubling of yields within a period of <15 years. These advances were made by selecting for stem characteristics (height and diameter) and coppicing response (shoot number and shoot vigour), as well as resistance to pests, diseases and environmental stress, with little or no knowledge of the genetic basis of these traits. Genetics and genomics, combined with extensive phenotyping, have substantially improved our understanding of the basis of biomass traits in willow for more targeted breeding via marker-assisted selection. Here, we present the strategy we have adopted in which a genetic-based approach was used to dissect complex traits into more defined components for molecular breeding and gene discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Hanley
- Department of AgroEcology, Rothamsted Research, Cropping Carbon Institute Programme, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, UK
| | - Angela Karp
- Department of AgroEcology, Rothamsted Research, Cropping Carbon Institute Programme, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, UK
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38
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Dynamic expression of a Hydra FGF at boundaries and termini. Dev Genes Evol 2014; 224:235-44. [PMID: 25311911 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-014-0480-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2014] [Accepted: 09/17/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Guidance of cells and tissue sheets is an essential function in developing and differentiating animal tissues. In Hydra, where cells and tissue move dynamically due to constant cell proliferation towards the termini or into lateral, vegetative buds, factors essential for guidance are still unknown. Good candidates to take over this function are fibroblast growth factors (FGFs). We present the phylogeny of several Hydra FGFs and analysis of their expression patterns. One of the FGFs is expressed in all terminal regions targeted by tissue movement and at boundaries crossed by moving tissue and cells with an expression pattern slightly differing in two Hydra strains. A model addressing an involvement of this FGF in cell movement and morphogenesis is proposed: Hydra FGFf-expressing cells might serve as sources to attract tissue and cells towards the termini of the body column and across morphological boundaries. Moreover, a function in morphogenesis and/or differentiation of cells and tissue is suggested.
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Ambrosone A, Scotto di Vettimo MR, Malvindi MA, Roopin M, Levy O, Marchesano V, Pompa PP, Tortiglione C, Tino A. Impact of Amorphous SiO2 Nanoparticles on a Living Organism: Morphological, Behavioral, and Molecular Biology Implications. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2014; 2:37. [PMID: 25325055 PMCID: PMC4179610 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2014.00037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Accepted: 09/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It is generally accepted that silica (SiO2) is not toxic. But the increasing use of silica nanoparticles (SiO2NPs) in many different industrial fields has prompted the careful investigation of their toxicity in biological systems. In this report, we describe the effects elicited by SiO2NPs on animal and cell physiology. Stable and monodisperse amorphous silica nanoparticles, 25 nM in diameter, were administered to living Hydra vulgaris (Cnidaria). The dose-related effects were defined by morphological and behavioral assays. The results revealed an all-or-nothing lethal toxicity with a rather high threshold (35 nM NPs) and a LT50 of 38 h. At sub lethal doses, the morphophysiological effects included: animal morphology alterations, paralysis of the gastric region, disorganization and depletion of tentacle specialized cells, increase of apoptotic and collapsed cells, and reduction of the epithelial cell proliferation rate. Transcriptome analysis (RNAseq) revealed 45 differentially expressed genes, mostly involved in stress response and cuticle renovation. Our results show that Hydra reacts to SiO2NPs, is able to rebalance the animal homeostasis up to a relatively high doses of SiO2NPs, and that the physiological modifications are transduced to gene expression modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Ambrosone
- Istituto di Cibernetica "Eduardo Caianiello", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Pozzuoli , Italy
| | | | - Maria Ada Malvindi
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies@UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia , Arnesano , Italy
| | - Modi Roopin
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University , Ramat Gan , Israel
| | - Oren Levy
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University , Ramat Gan , Israel
| | - Valentina Marchesano
- Istituto di Cibernetica "Eduardo Caianiello", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Pozzuoli , Italy
| | - Pier Paolo Pompa
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies@UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia , Arnesano , Italy
| | - Claudia Tortiglione
- Istituto di Cibernetica "Eduardo Caianiello", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Pozzuoli , Italy
| | - Angela Tino
- Istituto di Cibernetica "Eduardo Caianiello", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Pozzuoli , Italy
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Li S, Tighe SW, Nicolet CM, Grove D, Levy S, Farmerie W, Viale A, Wright C, Schweitzer PA, Gao Y, Kim D, Boland J, Hicks B, Kim R, Chhangawala S, Jafari N, Raghavachari N, Gandara J, Garcia-Reyero N, Hendrickson C, Roberson D, Rosenfeld J, Smith T, Underwood JG, Wang M, Zumbo P, Baldwin DA, Grills GS, Mason CE. Multi-platform assessment of transcriptome profiling using RNA-seq in the ABRF next-generation sequencing study. Nat Biotechnol 2014; 32:915-925. [PMID: 25150835 PMCID: PMC4167418 DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2013] [Accepted: 07/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
High-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) greatly expands the potential for genomics discoveries, but the wide variety of platforms, protocols and performance capabilitites has created the need for comprehensive reference data. Here we describe the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities next-generation sequencing (ABRF-NGS) study on RNA-seq. We carried out replicate experiments across 15 laboratory sites using reference RNA standards to test four protocols (poly-A-selected, ribo-depleted, size-selected and degraded) on five sequencing platforms (Illumina HiSeq, Life Technologies PGM and Proton, Pacific Biosciences RS and Roche 454). The results show high intraplatform (Spearman rank R > 0.86) and inter-platform (R > 0.83) concordance for expression measures across the deep-count platforms, but highly variable efficiency and cost for splice junction and variant detection between all platforms. For intact RNA, gene expression profiles from rRNA-depletion and poly-A enrichment are similar. In addition, rRNA depletion enables effective analysis of degraded RNA samples. This study provides a broad foundation for cross-platform standardization, evaluation and improvement of RNA-seq.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Li
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
- The HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Scott W. Tighe
- Vermont Cancer Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Charles M. Nicolet
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Deborah Grove
- The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Shawn Levy
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
| | - William Farmerie
- Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Agnes Viale
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Chris Wright
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Peter A. Schweitzer
- Biotechnology Resource Center, Institute of Biotechnology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Yuan Gao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Dewey Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Joe Boland
- NIH/NCI/SAIC-Frederick, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Ryan Kim
- Genome Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Sagar Chhangawala
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
- The HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Nadereh Jafari
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Jorge Gandara
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
- The HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Natàlia Garcia-Reyero
- Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biotechnology, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, USA
| | | | | | - Jeffrey Rosenfeld
- Division of High Performance and Research Computing, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Todd Smith
- PerkinElmer Inc., Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Jason G. Underwood
- University of Washington, Department of Genome Sciences. Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - May Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Paul Zumbo
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
- The HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - George S. Grills
- Biotechnology Resource Center, Institute of Biotechnology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Christopher E. Mason
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
- The HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
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Metabolic modeling of common Escherichia coli strains in human gut microbiome. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2014; 2014:694967. [PMID: 25126572 PMCID: PMC4122010 DOI: 10.1155/2014/694967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2014] [Revised: 06/11/2014] [Accepted: 06/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The recent high-throughput sequencing has enabled the composition of Escherichia coli strains in the human microbial community to be profiled en masse. However, there are two challenges to address: (1) exploring the genetic differences between E. coli strains in human gut and (2) dynamic responses of E. coli to diverse stress conditions. As a result, we investigated the E. coli strains in human gut microbiome using deep sequencing data and reconstructed genome-wide metabolic networks for the three most common E. coli strains, including E. coli HS, UTI89, and CFT073. The metabolic models show obvious strain-specific characteristics, both in network contents and in behaviors. We predicted optimal biomass production for three models on four different carbon sources (acetate, ethanol, glucose, and succinate) and found that these stress-associated genes were involved in host-microbial interactions and increased in human obesity. Besides, it shows that the growth rates are similar among the models, but the flux distributions are different, even in E. coli core reactions. The correlations between human diabetes-associated metabolic reactions in the E. coli models were also predicted. The study provides a systems perspective on E. coli strains in human gut microbiome and will be helpful in integrating diverse data sources in the following study.
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Tomczyk S, Fischer K, Austad S, Galliot B. Hydra, a powerful model for aging studies. INVERTEBR REPROD DEV 2014; 59:11-16. [PMID: 26120246 PMCID: PMC4463768 DOI: 10.1080/07924259.2014.927805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2014] [Accepted: 04/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Cnidarian Hydra polyps escape senescence, most likely due to the robust activity of their three stem cell populations. These stem cells continuously self-renew in the body column and differentiate at the extremities following a tightly coordinated spatial pattern. Paul Brien showed in 1953 that in one particular species, Hydra oligactis, cold-dependent sexual differentiation leads to rapid aging and death. Here, we review the features of this inducible aging phenotype. These cellular alterations, detected several weeks after aging was induced, are characterized by a decreasing density of somatic interstitial cell derivatives, a disorganization of the apical nervous system, and a disorganization of myofibers of the epithelial cells. Consequently, tissue replacement required to maintain homeostasis, feeding behavior, and contractility of the animal are dramatically affected. Interestingly, this aging phenotype is not observed in all H. oligactis strains, thus providing a powerful experimental model for investigations of the genetic control of aging. Given the presence in the cnidarian genome of a large number of human orthologs that have been lost in ecdysozoans, such approaches might help uncover novel regulators of aging in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szymon Tomczyk
- Faculty of Sciences, Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva , Geneva , Switzerland
| | - Kathleen Fischer
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham UAB , Birmingham , AL , USA
| | - Steven Austad
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham UAB , Birmingham , AL , USA
| | - Brigitte Galliot
- Faculty of Sciences, Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva , Geneva , Switzerland
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Wenger Y, Galliot B. Punctuated emergences of genetic and phenotypic innovations in eumetazoan, bilaterian, euteleostome, and hominidae ancestors. Genome Biol Evol 2014; 5:1949-68. [PMID: 24065732 PMCID: PMC3814200 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evt142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic traits derive from the selective recruitment of genetic materials over macroevolutionary times, and protein-coding genes constitute an essential component of these materials. We took advantage of the recent production of genomic scale data from sponges and cnidarians, sister groups from eumetazoans and bilaterians, respectively, to date the emergence of human proteins and to infer the timing of acquisition of novel traits through metazoan evolution. Comparing the proteomes of 23 eukaryotes, we find that 33% human proteins have an ortholog in nonmetazoan species. This premetazoan proteome associates with 43% of all annotated human biological processes. Subsequently, four major waves of innovations can be inferred in the last common ancestors of eumetazoans, bilaterians, euteleostomi (bony vertebrates), and hominidae, largely specific to each epoch, whereas early branching deuterostome and chordate phyla show very few innovations. Interestingly, groups of proteins that act together in their modern human functions often originated concomitantly, although the corresponding human phenotypes frequently emerged later. For example, the three cnidarians Acropora, Nematostella, and Hydra express a highly similar protein inventory, and their protein innovations can be affiliated either to traits shared by all eumetazoans (gut differentiation, neurogenesis); or to bilaterian traits present in only some cnidarians (eyes, striated muscle); or to traits not identified yet in this phylum (mesodermal layer, endocrine glands). The variable correspondence between phenotypes predicted from protein enrichments and observed phenotypes suggests that a parallel mechanism repeatedly produce similar phenotypes, thanks to novel regulatory events that independently tie preexisting conserved genetic modules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvan Wenger
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Babonis LS, Martindale MQ. Old cell, new trick? Cnidocytes as a model for the evolution of novelty. Integr Comp Biol 2014; 54:714-22. [PMID: 24771087 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icu027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how new cell types arise is critical for understanding the evolution of organismal complexity. Questions of this nature, however, can be difficult to answer due to the challenge associated with defining the identity of a truly novel cell. Cnidarians (anemones, jellies, and their allies) provide a unique opportunity to investigate the molecular regulation and development of cell-novelty because they possess a cell that is unique to the cnidarian lineage and that also has a very well-characterized phenotype: the cnidocyte (stinging cell). Because cnidocytes are thought to differentiate from the cell lineage that also gives rise to neurons, cnidocytes can be expected to express many of the same genes expressed in their neural "sister" cells. Conversely, only cnidocytes posses a cnidocyst (the explosive organelle that gives cnidocytes their sting); therefore, those genes or gene-regulatory relationships required for the development of the cnidocyst can be expected to be expressed uniquely (or in unique combination) in cnidocytes. This system provides an important opportunity to: (1) construct the gene-regulatory network (GRN) underlying the differentiation of cnidocytes, (2) assess the relative contributions of both conserved and derived genes in the cnidocyte GRN, and (3) test hypotheses about the role of novel regulatory relationships in the generation of novel cell types. In this review, we summarize common challenges to studying the evolution of novelty, introduce the utility of cnidocyte differentiation in the model cnidarian, Nematostella vectensis, as a means of overcoming these challenges, and describe an experimental approach that leverages comparative tissue-specific transcriptomics to generate hypotheses about the GRNs underlying the acquisition of the cnidocyte identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie S Babonis
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, 9505 N Oceanshore Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA
| | - Mark Q Martindale
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, 9505 N Oceanshore Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA
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De novo transcriptome hybrid assembly and validation in the European earwig (Dermaptera, Forficula auricularia). PLoS One 2014; 9:e94098. [PMID: 24722757 PMCID: PMC3983118 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2013] [Accepted: 03/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The European earwig (Forficula auricularia) is an established system for studies of sexual selection, social interactions and the evolution of parental care. Despite its scientific interest, little knowledge exists about the species at the genomic level, limiting the scope of molecular studies and expression analyses of genes of interest. To overcome these limitations, we sequenced and validated the transcriptome of the European earwig. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS To obtain a comprehensive transcriptome, we sequenced mRNA from various tissues and developmental stages of female and male earwigs using Roche 454 pyrosequencing and Illumina HiSeq. The reads were de novo assembled independently and screened for possible microbial contamination and repeated elements. The remaining contigs were combined into a hybrid assembly and clustered to reduce redundancy. A comparison with the eukaryotic core gene dataset indicates that we sequenced a substantial part of the earwig transcriptome with a low level of fragmentation. In addition, a comparative analysis revealed that more than 8,800 contigs of the hybrid assembly show significant similarity to insect-specific proteins and those were assigned for Gene Ontology terms. Finally, we established a quantitative PCR test for expression stability using commonly used housekeeping genes and applied the method to five homologs of known sex-biased genes of the honeybee. The qPCR pilot study confirmed sex specific expression and also revealed significant expression differences between the brain and antenna tissue samples. CONCLUSIONS By employing two different sequencing approaches and including samples obtained from different tissues, developmental stages, and sexes, we were able to assemble a comprehensive transcriptome of F. auricularia. The transcriptome presented here offers new opportunities to study the molecular bases and evolution of parental care and sociality in arthropods.
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Tucker RP, Adams JC. Adhesion networks of cnidarians: a postgenomic view. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2014; 308:323-77. [PMID: 24411175 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-800097-7.00008-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell-cell adhesion systems are fundamental to the multicellularity of metazoans. Members of phylum Cnidaria were classified historically by their radial symmetry as an outgroup to bilaterian animals. Experimental study of Hydra and jellyfish has fascinated zoologists for many years. Laboratory studies, based on dissection, biochemical isolations, or perturbations of the living organism, have identified the ECM layer of cnidarians (mesoglea) and its components as important determinants of stem cell properties, cell migration and differentiation, tissue morphogenesis, repair, and regeneration. Studies of the ultrastructure and functions of intercellular gap and septate junctions identified parallel roles for these structures in intercellular communication and morphogenesis. More recently, the sequenced genomes of sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, Hydra magnipapillata, and coral Acropora digitifera have opened up a new frame of reference for analyzing the cell-ECM and cell-cell adhesion molecules of cnidarians and examining their conservation with bilaterians. This chapter integrates a review of literature on the structure and functions of cell-ECM and cell-cell adhesion systems in cnidarians with current analyses of genome-encoded repertoires of adhesion molecules. The postgenomic perspective provides a fresh view on fundamental similarities between cnidarian and bilaterian animals and is impelling wider adoption of species from phylum Cnidaria as model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard P Tucker
- Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
| | - Josephine C Adams
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
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Moran Y, Praher D, Fredman D, Technau U. The evolution of microRNA pathway protein components in Cnidaria. Mol Biol Evol 2013; 30:2541-52. [PMID: 24030553 PMCID: PMC3840309 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/mst159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last decade, it became evident that posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression by microRNAs is a central biological process in both plants and animals. Yet, our knowledge about microRNA biogenesis and utilization in animals stems mostly from the study of Bilateria. In this study, we identified genes encoding the protein components of different parts of the microRNA pathway in Cnidaria, the likely sister phylum of Bilateria. These genes originated from three cnidarian lineages (sea anemones, stony corals, and hydras) that are separated by at least 500 My from one another. We studied the expression and phylogeny of the cnidarian homologs of Drosha and Pasha (DGCR8) that compose the microprocessor, the RNAse III enzyme Dicer and its partners, the HEN1 methyltransferase, the Argonaute protein effectors, as well as members of the GW182 protein family. We further reveal that whereas the bilaterian dicer partners Loquacious/TRBP and PACT are absent from Cnidaria, this phylum contains homologs of the double-stranded RNA-binding protein HYL1, the Dicer partner found in plants. We also identified HYL1 homologs in a sponge and a ctenophore. This finding raises questions regarding the independent evolution of the microRNA pathway in plants and animals, and together with the other results shed new light on the evolution of an important regulatory pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yehu Moran
- Department for Molecular Evolution and Development, Center for Organismal Systems Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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