1
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Xu Y, Cheng Y, Chen AT, Bao Z. A compound PCP scheme underlies sequential rosettes-based cell intercalation. Development 2023; 150:dev201493. [PMID: 36975724 PMCID: PMC10263146 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
The formation of sequential rosettes is a type of collective cell behavior recently discovered in the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo that mediates directional cell migration through sequential formation and resolution of multicellular rosettes involving the migrating cell and its neighboring cells along the way. Here, we show that a planar cell polarity (PCP)-based polarity scheme regulates sequential rosettes, which is distinct from the known mode of PCP regulation in multicellular rosettes during the process of convergent extension. Specifically, non-muscle myosin (NMY) localization and edge contraction are perpendicular to that of Van Gogh as opposed to colocalizing with Van Gogh. Further analyses suggest a two-component polarity scheme: one being the canonical PCP pathway with MIG-1/Frizzled and VANG-1/Van Gogh localized to the vertical edges, the other being MIG-1/Frizzled and NMY-2 localized to the midline/contracting edges. The NMY-2 localization and contraction of the midline edges also required LAT-1/Latrophilin, an adhesion G protein-coupled receptor that has not been shown to regulate multicellular rosettes. Our results establish a distinct mode of PCP-mediated cell intercalation and shed light on the versatile nature of the PCP pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yichi Xu
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Yunsheng Cheng
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Allison T. Chen
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Zhirong Bao
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA
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2
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Serre JM, Slabodnick MM, Goldstein B, Hardin J. SRGP-1/srGAP and AFD-1/afadin stabilize HMP-1/⍺-catenin at rosettes to seal internalization sites following gastrulation in C. elegans. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010507. [PMID: 36867663 PMCID: PMC10016700 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A hallmark of gastrulation is the establishment of germ layers by internalization of cells initially on the exterior. In C. elegans the end of gastrulation is marked by the closure of the ventral cleft, a structure formed as cells internalize during gastrulation, and the subsequent rearrangement of adjacent neuroblasts that remain on the surface. We found that a nonsense allele of srgp-1/srGAP leads to 10-15% cleft closure failure. Deletion of the SRGP-1/srGAP C-terminal domain led to a comparable rate of cleft closure failure, whereas deletion of the N-terminal F-BAR region resulted in milder defects. Loss of the SRGP-1/srGAP C-terminus or F-BAR domain results in defects in rosette formation and defective clustering of HMP-1/⍺-catenin in surface cells during cleft closure. A mutant form of HMP-1/⍺-catenin with an open M domain can suppress cleft closure defects in srgp-1 mutant backgrounds, suggesting that this mutation acts as a gain-of-function allele. Since SRGP-1 binding to HMP-1/⍺-catenin is not favored in this case, we sought another HMP-1 interactor that might be recruited when HMP-1/⍺-catenin is constitutively open. A good candidate is AFD-1/afadin, which genetically interacts with cadherin-based adhesion later during embryonic elongation. AFD-1/afadin is prominently expressed at the vertex of neuroblast rosettes in wildtype, and depletion of AFD-1/afadin increases cleft closure defects in srgp-1/srGAP and hmp-1R551/554A/⍺-catenin backgrounds. We propose that SRGP-1/srGAP promotes nascent junction formation in rosettes; as junctions mature and sustain higher levels of tension, the M domain of HMP-1/⍺-catenin opens, allowing maturing junctions to transition from recruitment of SRGP-1/srGAP to AFD-1/afadin. Our work identifies new roles for ⍺-catenin interactors during a process crucial to metazoan development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel M. Serre
- Program in Genetics University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Mark M. Slabodnick
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Knox University, Galesburg, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Bob Goldstein
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Jeff Hardin
- Program in Genetics University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
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3
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Xiao L, Fan D, Qi H, Cong Y, Du Z. Defect-buffering cellular plasticity increases robustness of metazoan embryogenesis. Cell Syst 2022; 13:615-630.e9. [PMID: 35882226 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2022.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Developmental processes are intrinsically robust so as to preserve a normal-like state in response to genetic and environmental fluctuations. However, the robustness and potential phenotypic plasticity of individual developing cells under genetic perturbations remain to be systematically evaluated. Using large-scale gene perturbation, live imaging, lineage tracing, and single-cell phenomics, we quantified the phenotypic landscape of C. elegans embryogenesis in >2,000 embryos following individual knockdown of over 750 conserved genes. We observed that cellular genetic systems are not sufficiently robust to single-gene perturbations across all cells; rather, gene knockdowns frequently induced cellular defects. Dynamic phenotypic analyses revealed many cellular defects to be transient, with cells exhibiting phenotypic plasticity that serves to alleviate, correct, and accommodate the defects. Moreover, potential developmentally related cell modules may buffer the phenotypic effects of individual cell position changes. Our findings reveal non-negligible contributions of cellular plasticity and multicellularity as compensatory strategies to increase developmental robustness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Duchangjiang Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Huan Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yulin Cong
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhuo Du
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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4
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Yao B, Donoughe S, Michaux J, Munro E. Modulating RhoA effectors induces transitions to oscillatory and more wavelike RhoA dynamics in C. elegans zygotes. Mol Biol Cell 2022; 33:ar58. [PMID: 35138935 PMCID: PMC9265151 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e21-11-0542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Pulsatile RhoA dynamics underlie a wide range of cell and tissue behaviors. The circuits that produce these dynamics in different cells share common architectures based on fast positive and delayed negative feedback through F-actin, but they can produce very different spatiotemporal patterns of RhoA activity. However, the underlying causes of this variation remain poorly understood. Here we asked how this variation could arise through modulation of actin network dynamics downstream of active RhoA in early C. elegans embryos. We find that perturbing two RhoA effectors - formin and anillin - induce transitions from non-recurrent focal pulses to either large noisy oscillatory pulses (formin depletion) or noisy oscillatory waves (anillin depletion). In both cases these transitions could be explained by changes in local F-actin levels and depletion dynamics, leading to changes in spatial and temporal patterns of RhoA inhibition. However, the underlying mechanisms for F-actin depletion are distinct, with different dependencies on myosin II activity. Thus, modulating actomyosin network dynamics could shape the spatiotemporal dynamics of RhoA activity for different physiological or morphogenetic functions. [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Baixue Yao
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637.,Committee on Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| | - Seth Donoughe
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637.,Committee on Development, Regeneration and Stem Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| | | | - Edwin Munro
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637.,Committee on Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637.,Committee on Development, Regeneration and Stem Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637.,Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
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5
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LaFoya B, Prehoda KE. Actin-dependent membrane polarization reveals the mechanical nature of the neuroblast polarity cycle. Cell Rep 2021; 35:109146. [PMID: 34010656 PMCID: PMC8174105 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Par complex directs fate-determinant segregation from the apical membrane of asymmetrically dividing Drosophila neuroblasts. While the physical interactions that recruit the Par complex have been extensively studied, little is known about how the membrane itself behaves during polarization. We examined the membrane dynamics of neuroblasts and surrounding cells using a combination of super-resolution and time-lapse imaging, revealing cellular-scale movements of diverse membrane features during asymmetric division cycles. Membrane domains that are distributed across the neuroblast membrane in interphase become polarized in early mitosis, where they mediate formation of cortical patches of the Par protein atypical protein kinase C (aPKC). Membrane and protein polarity cycles are precisely synchronized and are generated by extensive actin-dependent forces that deform the surrounding tissue. In addition to suggesting a role for the membrane in asymmetric division, our results reveal the mechanical nature of the neuroblast polarity cycle. LaFoya and Prehoda examine the membrane dynamics of asymmetrically dividing Drosophila neuroblasts and discover that the membrane undergoes a polarity cycle. Their studies show that membrane and protein polarity is precisely correlated and that cellular-scale forces generated during the cycle significantly deform the surrounding tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryce LaFoya
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Kenneth E Prehoda
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
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6
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Kunz P, Lehmann C, Pohl C. Differential Thresholds of Proteasome Activation Reveal Two Separable Mechanisms of Sensory Organ Polarization in C. elegans. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:619596. [PMID: 33634121 PMCID: PMC7900421 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.619596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cephalization is a major innovation of animal evolution and implies a synchronization of nervous system, mouth, and foregut polarization to align alimentary tract and sensomotoric system for effective foraging. However, the underlying integration of morphogenetic programs is poorly understood. Here, we show that invagination of neuroectoderm through de novo polarization and apical constriction creates the mouth opening in the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo. Simultaneously, all 18 juxta-oral sensory organ dendritic tips become symmetrically positioned around the mouth: While the two bilaterally symmetric amphid sensilla endings are towed to the mouth opening, labial and cephalic sensilla become positioned independently. Dendrite towing is enabled by the pre-polarized sensory amphid pores intercalating into the leading edge of the anteriorly migrating epidermal sheet, while apical constriction-mediated cell–cell re-arrangements mediate positioning of all other sensory organs. These two processes can be separated by gradual inactivation of the 26S proteasome activator, RPN-6.1. Moreover, RPN-6.1 also shows a dose-dependent requirement for maintenance of coordinated apical polarization of other organs with apical lumen, the pharynx, and the intestine. Thus, our data unveil integration of morphogenetic programs during the coordination of alimentary tract and sensory organ formation and suggest that this process requires tight control of ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Kunz
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biochemistry II, Medical Faculty, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Christina Lehmann
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biochemistry II, Medical Faculty, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Christian Pohl
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biochemistry II, Medical Faculty, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
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7
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Barnes KM, Fan L, Moyle MW, Brittin CA, Xu Y, Colón-Ramos DA, Santella A, Bao Z. Cadherin preserves cohesion across involuting tissues during C. elegans neurulation. eLife 2020; 9:e58626. [PMID: 33030428 PMCID: PMC7544503 DOI: 10.7554/elife.58626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The internalization of the central nervous system, termed neurulation in vertebrates, is a critical step in embryogenesis. Open questions remain regarding how force propels coordinated tissue movement during the process, and little is known as to how internalization happens in invertebrates. We show that in C. elegans morphogenesis, apical constriction in the retracting pharynx drives involution of the adjacent neuroectoderm. HMR-1/cadherin mediates this process via inter-tissue attachment, as well as cohesion within the neuroectoderm. Our results demonstrate that HMR-1 is capable of mediating embryo-wide reorganization driven by a centrally located force generator, and indicate a non-canonical use of cadherin on the basal side of an epithelium that may apply to vertebrate neurulation. Additionally, we highlight shared morphology and gene expression in tissues driving involution, which suggests that neuroectoderm involution in C. elegans is potentially homologous with vertebrate neurulation and thus may help elucidate the evolutionary origin of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristopher M Barnes
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Weill Cornell MedicineNew YorkUnited States
| | - Li Fan
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
| | - Mark W Moyle
- Department of Neuroscience and Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
| | - Christopher A Brittin
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
| | - Yichi Xu
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
| | - Daniel A Colón-Ramos
- Department of Neuroscience and Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of MedicineNew HavenUnited States
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Recinto de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de Puerto RicoSan JuanUnited States
| | - Anthony Santella
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
- Molecular Cytology Core, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
| | - Zhirong Bao
- Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
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8
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Wee K, Hediyeh-Zadeh S, Duszyc K, Verma S, N Nanavati B, Khare S, Varma A, Daly RJ, Yap AS, Davis MJ, Budnar S. Snail induces epithelial cell extrusion by regulating RhoA contractile signalling and cell-matrix adhesion. J Cell Sci 2020; 133:jcs235622. [PMID: 32467325 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.235622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell extrusion is a morphogenetic process that is implicated in epithelial homeostasis and elicited by stimuli ranging from apoptosis to oncogenic transformation. To explore whether the morphogenetic transcription factor Snail (SNAI1) induces extrusion, we inducibly expressed a stabilized Snail6SA transgene in confluent MCF-7 monolayers. When expressed in small clusters (less than three cells) within otherwise wild-type confluent monolayers, Snail6SA expression induced apical cell extrusion. In contrast, larger clusters or homogenous cultures of Snail6SA cells did not show enhanced apical extrusion, but eventually displayed sporadic basal delamination. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that Snail6SA did not substantively alter the balance of epithelial and mesenchymal genes. However, we identified a transcriptional network that led to upregulated RhoA signalling and cortical contractility in cells expressing Snail6SA Enhanced contractility was necessary, but not sufficient, to drive extrusion, suggesting that Snail collaborates with other factors. Indeed, we found that the transcriptional downregulation of cell-matrix adhesion cooperates with contractility to mediate basal delamination. This provides a pathway for Snail to influence epithelial morphogenesis independently of classic epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Wee
- Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Soroor Hediyeh-Zadeh
- Bioinformatics Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Kinga Duszyc
- Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Suzie Verma
- Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Bageshri N Nanavati
- Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | | | - Amrita Varma
- Viravecs Laboratories CCAMP, GKVK Campus, Bellary Road, Bangalore, Karnataka 560065, India
| | - Roger J Daly
- Cancer Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University
| | - Alpha S Yap
- Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Melissa J Davis
- Bioinformatics Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Srikanth Budnar
- Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
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9
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Goldstein B, Nance J. Caenorhabditis elegans Gastrulation: A Model for Understanding How Cells Polarize, Change Shape, and Journey Toward the Center of an Embryo. Genetics 2020; 214:265-277. [PMID: 32029580 PMCID: PMC7017025 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.300240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastrulation is fundamental to the development of multicellular animals. Along with neurulation, gastrulation is one of the major processes of morphogenesis in which cells or whole tissues move from the surface of an embryo to its interior. Cell internalization mechanisms that have been discovered to date in Caenorhabditis elegans gastrulation bear some similarity to internalization mechanisms of other systems including Drosophila, Xenopus, and mouse, suggesting that ancient and conserved mechanisms internalize cells in diverse organisms. C. elegans gastrulation occurs at an early stage, beginning when the embryo is composed of just 26 cells, suggesting some promise for connecting the rich array of developmental mechanisms that establish polarity and pattern in embryos to the force-producing mechanisms that change cell shapes and move cells interiorly. Here, we review our current understanding of C. elegans gastrulation mechanisms. We address how cells determine which direction is the interior and polarize with respect to that direction, how cells change shape by apical constriction and internalize, and how the embryo specifies which cells will internalize and when. We summarize future prospects for using this system to discover some of the general principles by which animal cells change shape and internalize during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob Goldstein
- Department of Biology and
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599 and
| | - Jeremy Nance
- Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine and
- Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York 10016
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10
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Singh D, Odedra D, Dutta P, Pohl C. Mechanical stress induces a scalable switch in cortical flow polarization during cytokinesis. J Cell Sci 2019; 132:jcs.231357. [PMID: 31519810 PMCID: PMC6803361 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.231357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
During animal development, cells need to sense and adapt to mechanical forces from their environment. Ultimately, these forces are transduced through the actomyosin cortex. How the cortex simultaneously responds to and creates forces during cytokinesis is not well understood. Here we show that, under mechanical stress, cortical actomyosin flow can switch polarization during cytokinesis in the C. elegans embryo. In unstressed embryos, longitudinal cortical flow contributes to contractile ring formation, while rotational cortical flow is additionally induced in uniaxially loaded embryos, i.e. embryos compressed between two plates. Rotational flow depends on astral microtubule signals and is required for the redistribution of the actomyosin cortex in loaded embryos. Rupture of longitudinally aligned cortical fibers during cortex rotation releases tension, initiates orthogonal longitudinal flow and, thereby, contributes to furrowing in loaded embryos. Moreover, actomyosin regulators involved in RhoA regulation, cortical polarity and chirality are all required for rotational flow, and become essential for cytokinesis under mechanical stress. In sum, our findings extend the current framework of mechanical stress response during cell division and show scaling of orthogonal cortical flows to the amount of mechanical stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepika Singh
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biochemistry II, Medical Faculty, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 15, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Devang Odedra
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biochemistry II, Medical Faculty, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 15, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Priyanka Dutta
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biochemistry II, Medical Faculty, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 15, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Christian Pohl
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biochemistry II, Medical Faculty, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 15, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
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11
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Dutta P, Odedra D, Pohl C. Planar Asymmetries in the C. elegans Embryo Emerge by Differential Retention of aPARs at Cell-Cell Contacts. Front Cell Dev Biol 2019; 7:209. [PMID: 31612135 PMCID: PMC6776615 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2019.00209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Formation of the anteroposterior and dorsoventral body axis in Caenorhabditis elegans depends on cortical flows and advection of polarity determinants. The role of this patterning mechanism in tissue polarization after formation of cell-cell contacts is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that planar asymmetries are established during left-right symmetry breaking: Centripetal cortical flows asymmetrically and differentially advect anterior polarity determinants (aPARs) from contacts to the medial cortex, resulting in their unmixing from apical myosin. Contact localization and advection of PAR-6 requires balanced CDC-42 activation, while asymmetric retention and advection of PAR-3 can occur independently of PAR-6. Concurrent asymmetric retention of PAR-3, E-cadherin/HMR-1 and opposing retention of antagonistic CDC-42 and Wnt pathway components leads to planar asymmetries. The most obvious mark of planar asymmetry, retention of PAR-3 at a single cell-cell contact, is required for proper cytokinetic cell intercalation. Hence, our data uncover how planar polarity is established in a system without the canonical planar cell polarity pathway through planar asymmetric retention of aPARs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Christian Pohl
- Medical Faculty, Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Institute of Biochemistry II, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
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12
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Breimann L, Preusser F, Preibisch S. Light-microscopy methods in C. elegans research. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coisb.2018.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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13
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Michaux JB, Robin FB, McFadden WM, Munro EM. Excitable RhoA dynamics drive pulsed contractions in the early C. elegans embryo. J Cell Biol 2018; 217:4230-4252. [PMID: 30275107 PMCID: PMC6279378 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201806161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Pulsed actomyosin contractility underlies many morphogenetic processes. Here, Michaux et al. show that, in early C. elegans embryos, pulsed contractions are generated by intrinsically excitable RhoA dynamics, involving fast autoactivation of RhoA and delayed negative feedback through local actin-dependent recruitment of the RhoGAPs RGA-3/4. Pulsed actomyosin contractility underlies diverse modes of tissue morphogenesis, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we combined quantitative imaging with genetic perturbations to identify a core mechanism for pulsed contractility in early Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. We show that pulsed accumulation of actomyosin is governed by local control of assembly and disassembly downstream of RhoA. Pulsed activation and inactivation of RhoA precede, respectively, the accumulation and disappearance of actomyosin and persist in the absence of Myosin II. We find that fast (likely indirect) autoactivation of RhoA drives pulse initiation, while delayed, F-actin–dependent accumulation of the RhoA GTPase-activating proteins RGA-3/4 provides negative feedback to terminate each pulse. A mathematical model, constrained by our data, suggests that this combination of feedbacks is tuned to generate locally excitable RhoA dynamics. We propose that excitable RhoA dynamics are a common driver for pulsed contractility that can be tuned or coupled differently to actomyosin dynamics to produce a diversity of morphogenetic outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan B Michaux
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - François B Robin
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | | | - Edwin M Munro
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL .,Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
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14
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Simões S, Oh Y, Wang MFZ, Fernandez-Gonzalez R, Tepass U. Myosin II promotes the anisotropic loss of the apical domain during Drosophila neuroblast ingression. J Cell Biol 2017; 216:1387-1404. [PMID: 28363972 PMCID: PMC5412560 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201608038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2016] [Revised: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Drosophila neural stem cells, or neuroblasts, ingress from the neuroepithelium in an EMT-like process, during which the apical cell domain is lost. Apical constriction of neuroblasts and the serial loss of cell–cell contacts require periodic pulses of actomyosin that cause progressively stronger ratcheted contractions of the neuroblast apical cortex. Epithelial–mesenchymal transitions play key roles in development and cancer and entail the loss of epithelial polarity and cell adhesion. In this study, we use quantitative live imaging of ingressing neuroblasts (NBs) in Drosophila melanogaster embryos to assess apical domain loss and junctional disassembly. Ingression is independent of the Snail family of transcriptional repressors and down-regulation of Drosophila E-cadherin (DEcad) transcription. Instead, the posttranscriptionally regulated decrease in DEcad coincides with the reduction of cell contact length and depends on tension anisotropy between NBs and their neighbors. A major driver of apical constriction and junctional disassembly are periodic pulses of junctional and medial myosin II that result in progressively stronger cortical contractions during ingression. Effective contractions require the molecular coupling between myosin and junctions and apical relaxation of neighboring cells. Moreover, planar polarization of myosin leads to the loss of anterior–posterior junctions before the loss of dorsal–ventral junctions. We conclude that planar-polarized dynamic actomyosin networks drive apical constriction and the anisotropic loss of cell contacts during NB ingression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sérgio Simões
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Youjin Oh
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Michael F Z Wang
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1M1, Canada
| | - Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalez
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G5, Canada.,Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1M1, Canada
| | - Ulrich Tepass
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G5, Canada
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15
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Kozlovskaja-Gumbrienė A, Yi R, Alexander R, Aman A, Jiskra R, Nagelberg D, Knaut H, McClain M, Piotrowski T. Proliferation-independent regulation of organ size by Fgf/Notch signaling. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28085667 PMCID: PMC5235355 DOI: 10.7554/elife.21049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2016] [Accepted: 12/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Organ morphogenesis depends on the precise orchestration of cell migration, cell shape changes and cell adhesion. We demonstrate that Notch signaling is an integral part of the Wnt and Fgf signaling feedback loop coordinating cell migration and the self-organization of rosette-shaped sensory organs in the zebrafish lateral line system. We show that Notch signaling acts downstream of Fgf signaling to not only inhibit hair cell differentiation but also to induce and maintain stable epithelial rosettes. Ectopic Notch expression causes a significant increase in organ size independently of proliferation and the Hippo pathway. Transplantation and RNASeq analyses revealed that Notch signaling induces apical junctional complex genes that regulate cell adhesion and apical constriction. Our analysis also demonstrates that in the absence of patterning cues normally provided by a Wnt/Fgf signaling system, rosettes still self-organize in the presence of Notch signaling. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.21049.001
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ren Yi
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, United States
| | | | - Andy Aman
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, United States
| | - Ryan Jiskra
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, United States
| | - Danielle Nagelberg
- Developmental Genetics Program and Kimmel Center for Stem Cell Biology, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Holger Knaut
- Developmental Genetics Program and Kimmel Center for Stem Cell Biology, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Melainia McClain
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, United States
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16
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Jelier R, Kruger A, Swoger J, Zimmermann T, Lehner B. Compensatory Cell Movements Confer Robustness to Mechanical Deformation during Embryonic Development. Cell Syst 2016; 3:160-171. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2016.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2016] [Revised: 05/30/2016] [Accepted: 07/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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17
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Singh D, Odedra D, Lehmann C, Pohl C. Acute heat shock leads to cortical domain internalization and polarity loss in theC. elegansembryo. Genesis 2016; 54:220-8. [DOI: 10.1002/dvg.22930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2015] [Revised: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Deepika Singh
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biochemistry II, Goethe University; Max-von-Laue-Strasse 15 Frankfurt (Main) 60438 Germany
| | - Devang Odedra
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biochemistry II, Goethe University; Max-von-Laue-Strasse 15 Frankfurt (Main) 60438 Germany
| | - Christina Lehmann
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biochemistry II, Goethe University; Max-von-Laue-Strasse 15 Frankfurt (Main) 60438 Germany
| | - Christian Pohl
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biochemistry II, Goethe University; Max-von-Laue-Strasse 15 Frankfurt (Main) 60438 Germany
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18
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Wernike D, Chen Y, Mastronardi K, Makil N, Piekny A. Mechanical forces drive neuroblast morphogenesis and are required for epidermal closure. Dev Biol 2016; 412:261-77. [PMID: 26923492 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2016.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2015] [Revised: 02/24/2016] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Tissue morphogenesis requires myosin-dependent events such as cell shape changes and migration to be coordinated between cells within a tissue, and/or with cells from other tissues. However, few studies have investigated the simultaneous morphogenesis of multiple tissues in vivo. We found that during Caenorhabditis elegans ventral enclosure, when epidermal cells collectively migrate to cover the ventral surface of the embryo, the underlying neuroblasts (neuronal precursor cells) also undergo morphogenesis. We found that myosin accumulates as foci along the junction-free edges of the ventral epidermal cells to form a ring, whose closure is myosin-dependent. We also observed the accumulation of myosin foci and the adhesion junction proteins E-cadherin and α-catenin in the underlying neuroblasts. Myosin may help to reorganize a subset of neuroblasts into a rosette-like pattern, and decrease their surface area as the overlying epidermal cells constrict. Since myosin is required in the neuroblasts for ventral enclosure, we propose that mechanical forces in the neuroblasts influence constriction of the overlying epidermal cells. In support of this model, disrupting neuroblast cell division or altering their fate influences myosin localization in the overlying epidermal cells. The coordination of myosin-dependent events and forces between cells in different tissues could be a common theme for coordinating morphogenetic events during metazoan development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Wernike
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Yun Chen
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Neetha Makil
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Alisa Piekny
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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19
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Cytoskeletal Symmetry Breaking and Chirality: From Reconstituted Systems to Animal Development. Symmetry (Basel) 2015. [DOI: 10.3390/sym7042062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
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WormGUIDES: an interactive single cell developmental atlas and tool for collaborative multidimensional data exploration. BMC Bioinformatics 2015; 16:189. [PMID: 26051157 PMCID: PMC4459063 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-015-0627-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2015] [Accepted: 05/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Imaging and image analysis advances are yielding increasingly complete and complicated records of cellular events in tissues and whole embryos. The ability to follow hundreds to thousands of cells at the individual level demands a spatio-temporal data infrastructure: tools to assemble and collate knowledge about development spatially in a manner analogous to geographic information systems (GIS). Just as GIS indexes items or events based on their spatio-temporal or 4D location on the Earth these tools would organize knowledge based on location within the tissues or embryos. Developmental processes are highly context-specific, but the complexity of the 4D environment in which they unfold is a barrier to assembling an understanding of any particular process from diverse sources of information. In the same way that GIS aids the understanding and use of geo-located large data sets, software can, with a proper frame of reference, allow large biological data sets to be understood spatially. Intuitive tools are needed to navigate the spatial structure of complex tissue, collate large data sets and existing knowledge with this spatial structure and help users derive hypotheses about developmental mechanisms. Results Toward this goal we have developed WormGUIDES, a mobile application that presents a 4D developmental atlas for Caenorhabditis elegans. The WormGUIDES mobile app enables users to navigate a 3D model depicting the nuclear positions of all cells in the developing embryo. The identity of each cell can be queried with a tap, and community databases searched for available information about that cell. Information about ancestry, fate and gene expression can be used to label cells and craft customized visualizations that highlight cells as potential players in an event of interest. Scenes are easily saved, shared and published to other WormGUIDES users. The mobile app is available for Android and iOS platforms. Conclusion WormGUIDES provides an important tool for examining developmental processes and developing mechanistic hypotheses about their control. Critically, it provides the typical end user with an intuitive interface for developing and sharing custom visualizations of developmental processes. Equally important, because users can select cells based on their position and search for information about them, the app also serves as a spatially organized index into the large body of knowledge available to the C. elegans community online. Moreover, the app can be used to create and publish the result of exploration: interactive content that brings other researchers and students directly to the spatio-temporal point of insight. Ultimately the app will incorporate a detailed time lapse record of cell shape, beginning with neurons. This will add the key ability to navigate and understand the developmental events that result in the coordinated and precise emergence of anatomy, particularly the wiring of the nervous system.
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21
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Martin AC, Goldstein B. Apical constriction: themes and variations on a cellular mechanism driving morphogenesis. Development 2014; 141:1987-98. [PMID: 24803648 DOI: 10.1242/dev.102228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 319] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Apical constriction is a cell shape change that promotes tissue remodeling in a variety of homeostatic and developmental contexts, including gastrulation in many organisms and neural tube formation in vertebrates. In recent years, progress has been made towards understanding how the distinct cell biological processes that together drive apical constriction are coordinated. These processes include the contraction of actin-myosin networks, which generates force, and the attachment of actin networks to cell-cell junctions, which allows forces to be transmitted between cells. Different cell types regulate contractility and adhesion in unique ways, resulting in apical constriction with varying dynamics and subcellular organizations, as well as a variety of resulting tissue shape changes. Understanding both the common themes and the variations in apical constriction mechanisms promises to provide insight into the mechanics that underlie tissue morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam C Martin
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
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22
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Singh D, Pohl C. Coupling of rotational cortical flow, asymmetric midbody positioning, and spindle rotation mediates dorsoventral axis formation in C. elegans. Dev Cell 2014; 28:253-67. [PMID: 24525186 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2014.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Revised: 12/02/2013] [Accepted: 01/02/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Cortical flows mediate anteroposterior polarization in Caenorhabditis elegans by generating two mutually exclusive membrane domains. However, factors downstream of anteroposterior polarity that establish the dorsoventral axis remain elusive. Here, we show that rotational cortical flow orthogonal to the anteroposterior axis during the division of the AB blastomere in the two-cell embryo positions the cytokinetic midbody remnant of the previous division asymmetrically at the future ventral side of the embryo. In the neighboring P1 blastomere, astral microtubules contact a transient PAR-2-dependent actin coat that forms asymmetrically onto the midbody remnant-P1 interface. Ablation of the midbody remnant or perturbation of rotational cortical flow reveals that microtubule-midbody remnant contacts are crucial for P1 spindle rotation and dorsoventral axis formation. Thus, our findings suggest a mechanism for dorsoventral patterning that relies on coupling of anteroposterior polarity, rotational cortical flow, midbody remnant positioning, and spindle orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepika Singh
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Institute of Biochemistry II, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 15, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Christian Pohl
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Institute of Biochemistry II, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 15, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany.
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23
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Caenorhabditis elegans anillin (ani-1) regulates neuroblast cytokinesis and epidermal morphogenesis during embryonic development. Dev Biol 2013; 383:61-74. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2013.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2013] [Revised: 08/24/2013] [Accepted: 08/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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24
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Davidson LA. No strings attached: new insights into epithelial morphogenesis. BMC Biol 2012; 10:105. [PMID: 23256891 PMCID: PMC3527222 DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-10-105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2012] [Accepted: 12/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The dramatic ingression of tissue sheets that accompanies many morphogenetic processes, most notably gastrulation, has been largely attributed to contractile circum-apical actomyosin 'purse-strings' in the infolding cells. Recent studies, however, including one in BMC Biology, expose mechanisms that rely less on actomyosin contractility of purse-string bundles and more on dynamics in the global cortical actomyosin network of the cells. These studies illustrate how punctuated actomyosin contractions and flow of these networks can remodel both epithelial and planarly organized mesenchymal sheets.
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