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Godini R, Fallahi H, Pocock R. The regulatory landscape of neurite development in Caenorhabditis elegans. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:974208. [PMID: 36090252 PMCID: PMC9453034 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.974208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal communication requires precise connectivity of neurite projections (axons and dendrites). Developing neurites express cell-surface receptors that interpret extracellular cues to enable correct guidance toward, and connection with, target cells. Spatiotemporal regulation of neurite guidance molecule expression by transcription factors (TFs) is critical for nervous system development and function. Here, we review how neurite development is regulated by TFs in the Caenorhabditis elegans nervous system. By collecting publicly available transcriptome and ChIP-sequencing data, we reveal gene expression dynamics during neurite development, providing insight into transcriptional mechanisms governing construction of the nervous system architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rasoul Godini
- Development and Stem Cells Program, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- *Correspondence: Rasoul Godini,
| | - Hossein Fallahi
- Department of Biology, School of Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Roger Pocock
- Development and Stem Cells Program, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Roger Pocock,
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2
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Gimond C, Vielle A, Silva-Soares N, Zdraljevic S, McGrath PT, Andersen EC, Braendle C. Natural Variation and Genetic Determinants of Caenorhabditis elegans Sperm Size. Genetics 2019; 213:615-632. [PMID: 31395653 PMCID: PMC6781899 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.302462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 08/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The diversity in sperm shape and size represents a powerful paradigm to understand how selection drives the evolutionary diversification of cell morphology. Experimental work on the sperm biology of the male-hermaphrodite nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has elucidated diverse factors important for sperm fertilization success, including the competitive superiority of larger sperm. Yet despite extensive research, the molecular mechanisms regulating C. elegans sperm size and the genetic basis underlying natural variation in sperm size remain unknown. To address these questions, we quantified male sperm size variation of a worldwide panel of 97 genetically distinct C. elegans strains, allowing us to uncover significant genetic variation in male sperm size. Aiming to characterize the molecular genetic basis of C. elegans male sperm size variation using a genome-wide association study, we did not detect any significant quantitative trait loci. We therefore focused on the genetic analysis of pronounced sperm size differences observed between recently diverged laboratory strains (N2 vs. LSJ1/2). Using mutants and quantitative complementation tests, we demonstrate that variation in the gene nurf-1 underlies the evolution of small sperm in the LSJ lineage. Given the previous discovery that this same nurf-1 variation was central for hermaphrodite laboratory adaptation, the evolution of reduced male sperm size in LSJ strains likely reflects a pleiotropic consequence. Together, our results provide a comprehensive quantification of natural variation in C. elegans sperm size and first insights into the genetic determinants of Caenorhabditis sperm size, pointing at an involvement of the NURF chromatin remodeling complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clotilde Gimond
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, IBV, Nice 06100, France
| | - Anne Vielle
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, IBV, Nice 06100, France
| | - Nuno Silva-Soares
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, IBV, Nice 06100, France
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Stefan Zdraljevic
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208
| | - Patrick T McGrath
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
| | - Erik C Andersen
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208
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3
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Shi C, Booth LN, Murphy CT. Insulin-like peptides and the mTOR-TFEB pathway protect Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodites from mating-induced death. eLife 2019; 8:46413. [PMID: 31282862 PMCID: PMC6697448 DOI: 10.7554/elife.46413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Lifespan is shortened by mating, but these deleterious effects must be delayed long enough for successful reproduction. Susceptibility to brief mating-induced death is caused by the loss of protection upon self-sperm depletion. Self-sperm maintains the expression of a DAF-2 insulin-like antagonist, INS-37, which promotes the nuclear localization of intestinal HLH-30/TFEB, a key pro-longevity regulator. Mating induces the agonist INS-8, promoting HLH-30 nuclear exit and subsequent death. In opposition to the protective role of HLH-30 and DAF-16/FOXO, TOR/LET-363 and the IIS-regulated Zn-finger transcription factor PQM-1 promote seminal-fluid-induced killing. Self-sperm maintenance of nuclear HLH-30/TFEB allows hermaphrodites to resist mating-induced death until self-sperm are exhausted, increasing the chances that mothers will survive through reproduction. Mothers combat males' hijacking of their IIS pathway by expressing an insulin antagonist that keeps her healthy through the activity of pro-longevity factors, as long as she has her own sperm to utilize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Shi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States.,LSI Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Lauren N Booth
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
| | - Coleen T Murphy
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States.,LSI Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
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Holbrook RI, Mortimer B. Vibration sensitivity found in Caenorhabditis elegans. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:jeb.178947. [PMID: 29903836 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.178947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Mechanical sensing is important for all organisms, but is the least understood of the senses. As mechanical stimuli come in diverse forms, organisms often have sensors or sensory systems that specialise in a form of mechanical stimuli, such as touch or vibration. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans exhibits a behavioural response to vibration that is distinct from its responses to touch. We show that wild-type strain worms respond to sustained low-frequency vibration in a manner distinct from the known responses to non-localised mechanical stimuli. Furthermore, the behavioural responses of mutant strains suggest different roles for ciliated versus non-ciliated neurons in mediating the response. Although further study is required to identify the vibration-sensing pathway, our data support that C. elegans can sense substrate-borne vibrations using cells distinct from those used in gentle touch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert I Holbrook
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.,School of Computing, Faculty of Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Beth Mortimer
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK .,Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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De Stasio EA, Mueller KP, Bauer RJ, Hurlburt AJ, Bice SA, Scholtz SL, Phirke P, Sugiaman-Trapman D, Stinson LA, Olson HB, Vogel SL, Ek-Vazquez Z, Esemen Y, Korzynski J, Wolfe K, Arbuckle BN, Zhang H, Lombard-Knapp G, Piasecki BP, Swoboda P. An Expanded Role for the RFX Transcription Factor DAF-19, with Dual Functions in Ciliated and Nonciliated Neurons. Genetics 2018; 208:1083-1097. [PMID: 29301909 PMCID: PMC5844324 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.117.300571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulatory Factor X (RFX) transcription factors (TFs) are best known for activating genes required for ciliogenesis in both vertebrates and invertebrates. In humans, eight RFX TFs have a variety of tissue-specific functions, while in the worm Caenorhabditis elegans, the sole RFX gene, daf-19, encodes a set of nested isoforms. Null alleles of daf-19 confer pleiotropic effects including altered development with a dauer constitutive phenotype, complete absence of cilia and ciliary proteins, and defects in synaptic protein maintenance. We sought to identify RFX/daf-19 target genes associated with neuronal functions other than ciliogenesis using comparative transcriptome analyses at different life stages of the worm. Subsequent characterization of gene expression patterns revealed one set of genes activated in the presence of DAF-19 in ciliated sensory neurons, whose activation requires the daf-19c isoform, also required for ciliogenesis. A second set of genes is downregulated in the presence of DAF-19, primarily in nonsensory neurons. The human orthologs of some of these neuronal genes are associated with human diseases. We report the novel finding that daf-19a is directly or indirectly responsible for downregulation of these neuronal genes in C. elegans by characterizing a new mutation affecting the daf-19a isoform (tm5562) and not associated with ciliogenesis, but which confers synaptic and behavioral defects. Thus, we have identified a new regulatory role for RFX TFs in the nervous system. The new daf-19 candidate target genes we have identified by transcriptomics will serve to uncover the molecular underpinnings of the pleiotropic effects that daf-19 exerts on nervous system function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rosemary J Bauer
- Department of Biology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin 54911
| | | | - Sophie A Bice
- Department of Biology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin 54911
| | - Sophie L Scholtz
- Department of Biology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin 54911
| | - Prasad Phirke
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
| | | | - Loraina A Stinson
- Department of Biology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin 54911
| | - Haili B Olson
- Department of Biology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin 54911
| | - Savannah L Vogel
- Department of Biology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin 54911
| | | | - Yagmur Esemen
- Department of Biology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin 54911
| | - Jessica Korzynski
- Department of Biology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin 54911
| | - Kelsey Wolfe
- Department of Biology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin 54911
| | - Bonnie N Arbuckle
- Department of Biology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin 54911
| | - He Zhang
- Department of Biology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin 54911
| | | | - Brian P Piasecki
- Department of Biology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin 54911
| | - Peter Swoboda
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
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Campbell RF, Walthall WW. Meis/UNC-62 isoform dependent regulation of CoupTF-II/UNC-55 and GABAergic motor neuron subtype differentiation. Dev Biol 2016; 419:250-261. [PMID: 27634571 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2016.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2016] [Revised: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Gene regulatory networks orchestrate the assembly of functionally related cells within a cellular network. Subtle differences often exist among functionally related cells within such networks. How differences are created among cells with similar functions has been difficult to determine due to the complexity of both the gene and the cellular networks. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the DD and VD motor neurons compose a cross-inhibitory, GABAergic network that coordinates dorsal and ventral muscle contractions during locomotion. The Pitx2 homologue, UNC-30, acts as a terminal selector gene to create similarities and the Coup-TFII homologue, UNC-55, is necessary for creating differences between the two motor neuron classes. What is the organizing gene regulatory network responsible for initiating the expression of UNC-55 and thus creating differences between the DD and VD motor neurons? We show that the unc-55 promoter has modules that contain Meis/UNC-62 binding sites. These sites can be subdivided into regions that are capable of activating or repressing UNC-55 expression in different motor neurons. Interestingly, different isoforms of UNC-62 are responsible for the activation and the stabilization of unc-55 transcription. Furthermore, specific isoforms of UNC-62 are required for proper synaptic patterning of the VD motor neurons. Isoform specific regulation of differentiating neurons is a relatively unexplored area of research and presents a mechanism for creating differences among functionally related cells within a network.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Animals, Genetically Modified
- CRISPR-Cas Systems
- Caenorhabditis elegans/genetics
- Caenorhabditis elegans/physiology
- Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/biosynthesis
- Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/physiology
- GABAergic Neurons/cytology
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
- Gene Regulatory Networks/genetics
- Genes, Reporter
- Homeodomain Proteins/physiology
- Motor Neurons/classification
- Motor Neurons/cytology
- Neurogenesis/genetics
- Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics
- Protein Isoforms/physiology
- RNA, Helminth/biosynthesis
- RNA, Helminth/genetics
- RNA, Messenger/biosynthesis
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- Receptors, Cell Surface/biosynthesis
- Receptors, Cell Surface/physiology
- Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/biosynthesis
- Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/physiology
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/genetics
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/metabolism
- Transcription Factors
- Transcription, Genetic/genetics
- RNA, Guide, CRISPR-Cas Systems
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard F Campbell
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States
| | - Walter W Walthall
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States.
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Goszczynski B, Captan VV, Danielson AM, Lancaster BR, McGhee JD. A 44 bp intestine-specific hermaphrodite-specific enhancer from the C. elegans vit-2 vitellogenin gene is directly regulated by ELT-2, MAB-3, FKH-9 and DAF-16 and indirectly regulated by the germline, by daf-2/insulin signaling and by the TGF-β/Sma/Mab pathway. Dev Biol 2016; 413:112-27. [PMID: 26963674 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2016.02.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2015] [Revised: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 02/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The Caenorhabditis elegans vitellogenin genes are transcribed in the intestine of adult hermaphrodites but not of males. A 44-bp region from the vit-2 gene promoter is able largely to reconstitute this tissue-, stage- and sex-specific-expression. This "enhancer" contains a binding site for the DM-domain factor MAB-3, the male-specific repressor of vitellogenesis, as well as an activator site that we show is the direct target of the intestinal GATA factor ELT-2. We further show that the enhancer is directly activated by the winged-helix/forkhead-factor FKH-9, (whose gene has been shown by others to be a direct target of DAF-16), by an unknown activator binding to the MAB-3 site, and by the full C. elegans TGF-β/Sma/Mab pathway acting within the intestine. The vit-2 gene has been shown by others to be repressed by the daf-2/daf-16 insulin signaling pathway, which so strongly influences aging and longevity in C. elegans. We show that the activity of the 44 bp vit-2 enhancer is abolished by loss of daf-2 but is restored by simultaneous loss of daf-16. DAF-2 acts from outside of the intestine but DAF-16 acts both from outside of the intestine and from within the intestine where it binds directly to the same non-canonical target site that interacts with FKH-9. Activity of the 44 bp vit-2 enhancer is also inhibited by loss of the germline, in a manner that is only weakly influenced by DAF-16 but that is strongly influenced by KRI-1, a key downstream effector in the pathway by which germline loss increases C. elegans lifespan. The complex behavior of this enhancer presumably allows vitellogenin gene transcription to adjust to demands of body size, germline proliferation and nutritional state but we suggest that the apparent involvement of this enhancer in aging and longevity "pathways" could be incidental.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Goszczynski
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Vasile V Captan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Alicia M Danielson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Brett R Lancaster
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - James D McGhee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
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Tong C, Wang X, Yu J, Wu J, Li W, Huang J, Dong C, Hua W, Liu S. Comprehensive analysis of RNA-seq data reveals the complexity of the transcriptome in Brassica rapa. BMC Genomics 2013; 14:689. [PMID: 24098974 PMCID: PMC3853194 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2013] [Accepted: 10/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The species Brassica rapa (2n=20, AA) is an important vegetable and oilseed crop, and serves as an excellent model for genomic and evolutionary research in Brassica species. With the availability of whole genome sequence of B. rapa, it is essential to further determine the activity of all functional elements of the B. rapa genome and explore the transcriptome on a genome-wide scale. Here, RNA-seq data was employed to provide a genome-wide transcriptional landscape and characterization of the annotated and novel transcripts and alternative splicing events across tissues. Results RNA-seq reads were generated using the Illumina platform from six different tissues (root, stem, leaf, flower, silique and callus) of the B. rapa accession Chiifu-401-42, the same line used for whole genome sequencing. First, these data detected the widespread transcription of the B. rapa genome, leading to the identification of numerous novel transcripts and definition of 5'/3' UTRs of known genes. Second, 78.8% of the total annotated genes were detected as expressed and 45.8% were constitutively expressed across all tissues. We further defined several groups of genes: housekeeping genes, tissue-specific expressed genes and co-expressed genes across tissues, which will serve as a valuable repository for future crop functional genomics research. Third, alternative splicing (AS) is estimated to occur in more than 29.4% of intron-containing B. rapa genes, and 65% of them were commonly detected in more than two tissues. Interestingly, genes with high rate of AS were over-represented in GO categories relating to transcriptional regulation and signal transduction, suggesting potential importance of AS for playing regulatory role in these genes. Further, we observed that intron retention (IR) is predominant in the AS events and seems to preferentially occurred in genes with short introns. Conclusions The high-resolution RNA-seq analysis provides a global transcriptional landscape as a complement to the B. rapa genome sequence, which will advance our understanding of the dynamics and complexity of the B. rapa transcriptome. The atlas of gene expression in different tissues will be useful for accelerating research on functional genomics and genome evolution in Brassica species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaobo Tong
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, P,R, China, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430062, China.
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