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Barela Hudgell MA, Momtaz F, Jafri A, Alekseyev MA, Smith LC. Local Genomic Instability of the SpTransformer Gene Family in the Purple Sea Urchin Inferred from BAC Insert Deletions. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:222. [PMID: 38397211 PMCID: PMC10887614 DOI: 10.3390/genes15020222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The SpTransformer (SpTrf) gene family in the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, encodes immune response proteins. The genes are clustered, surrounded by short tandem repeats, and some are present in genomic segmental duplications. The genes share regions of sequence and include repeats in the coding exon. This complex structure is consistent with putative local genomic instability. Instability of the SpTrf gene cluster was tested by 10 days of growth of Escherichia coli harboring bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones of sea urchin genomic DNA with inserts containing SpTrf genes. After the growth period, the BAC DNA inserts were analyzed for size and SpTrf gene content. Clones with multiple SpTrf genes showed a variety of deletions, including loss of one, most, or all genes from the cluster. Alternatively, a BAC insert with a single SpTrf gene was stable. BAC insert instability is consistent with variations in the gene family composition among sea urchins, the types of SpTrf genes in the family, and a reduction in the gene copy number in single coelomocytes. Based on the sequence variability among SpTrf genes within and among sea urchins, local genomic instability of the family may be important for driving sequence diversity in this gene family that would be of benefit to sea urchins in their arms race with marine microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan A. Barela Hudgell
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA; (M.A.B.H.); (F.M.)
| | - Farhana Momtaz
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA; (M.A.B.H.); (F.M.)
| | - Abiha Jafri
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA; (M.A.B.H.); (F.M.)
| | - Max A. Alekseyev
- Department of Mathematics and the Computational Biology Institute, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA;
| | - L. Courtney Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA; (M.A.B.H.); (F.M.)
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Peng Z, Zhang W, Fu H, Li Y, Zhang C, Li J, Chan J, Zhang L. Genome-Wide Comparative Analysis of SRCR Gene Superfamily in Invertebrates Reveals Massive and Independent Gene Expansions in the Sponge and Sea Urchin. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1515. [PMID: 38338794 PMCID: PMC10855680 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031515] [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: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Without general adaptative immunity, invertebrates evolved a vast number of heterogeneous non-self recognition strategies. One of those well-known adaptations is the expansion of the immune receptor gene superfamily coding for scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain containing proteins (SRCR) in a few invertebrates. Here, we investigated the evolutionary history of the SRCR gene superfamily (SRCR-SF) across 29 metazoan species with an emphasis on invertebrates. We analyzed their domain architectures, genome locations and phylogenetic distribution. Our analysis shows extensive genome-wide duplications of the SRCR-SFs in Amphimedon queenslandica and Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Further molecular evolution study reveals various patterns of conserved cysteines in the sponge and sea urchin SRCR-SFs, indicating independent and convergent evolution of SRCR-SF expansion during invertebrate evolution. In the case of the sponge SRCR-SFs, a novel motif with seven conserved cysteines was identified. Exon-intron structure analysis suggests the rapid evolution of SRCR-SFs during gene duplications in both the sponge and the sea urchin. Our findings across nine representative metazoans also underscore a heightened expression of SRCR-SFs in immune-related tissues, notably the digestive glands. This observation indicates the potential role of SRCR-SFs in reinforcing distinct immune functions in these invertebrates. Collectively, our results reveal that gene duplication, motif structure variation, and exon-intron divergence might lead to the convergent evolution of SRCR-SF expansions in the genomes of the sponge and sea urchin. Our study also suggests that the utilization of SRCR-SF receptor duplication may be a general and basal strategy to increase immune diversity and tissue specificity for the invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhangjie Peng
- College of Life Sciences, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (Z.P.); (H.F.); (Y.L.); (C.Z.)
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center of Deep-Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- College of Marine Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (Z.P.); (H.F.); (Y.L.); (C.Z.)
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center of Deep-Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Hailun Fu
- College of Life Sciences, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (Z.P.); (H.F.); (Y.L.); (C.Z.)
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center of Deep-Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Yuzhu Li
- College of Life Sciences, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (Z.P.); (H.F.); (Y.L.); (C.Z.)
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center of Deep-Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Chunyu Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China; (Z.P.); (H.F.); (Y.L.); (C.Z.)
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center of Deep-Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Jie Li
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center of Deep-Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- College of Marine Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China
- Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Jiulin Chan
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center of Deep-Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China
- Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Linlin Zhang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center of Deep-Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
- College of Marine Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China
- Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
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Yakovenko I, Tobi D, Ner-Gaon H, Oren M. Different sea urchin RAG-like genes were domesticated to carry out different functions. Front Immunol 2023; 13:1066510. [PMID: 36726993 PMCID: PMC9885083 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1066510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The closely linked recombination activating genes (RAG1 and RAG2) in vertebrates encode the core of the RAG recombinase that mediates the V(D)J recombination of the immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor genes. RAG1 and RAG2 homologues (RAG1L and RAG2L) are present in multiple invertebrate phyla, including mollusks, nemerteans, cnidarians, and sea urchins. However, the function of the invertebrates' RAGL proteins is yet unknown. The sea urchins contain multiple RAGL genes that presumably originated in a common ancestral transposon. In this study, we demonstrated that two different RAG1L genes in the sea urchin Paracentrutus lividus (PlRAG1La and PlRAG1Lb) lost their mobility and, along with PlRAG2L, were fully domesticated to carry out different functions. We found that the examined echinoid RAGL homologues have distinct expression profiles in early developmental stages and in adult tissues. Moreover, the predicted structure of the proteins suggests that while PlRAG1La could maintain its endonuclease activity and create a heterotetramer with PlRAG2L, the PlRAG1Lb adopted a different function that does not include an interaction with DNA nor a collaboration with PlRAG2L. By characterizing the different RAG homologues in the echinoid lineage, we hope to increase the knowledge about the evolution of these genes and shed light on their domestication processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iryna Yakovenko
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel,*Correspondence: Matan Oren, ; Iryna Yakovenko,
| | - Dror Tobi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel,Department of Computer Sciences, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - Hadas Ner-Gaon
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Matan Oren
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel,*Correspondence: Matan Oren, ; Iryna Yakovenko,
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Li Y, Xue Y, Peng Z, Zhang L. Immune diversity in lophotrochozoans, with a focus on recognition and effector systems. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:2262-2275. [PMID: 37035545 PMCID: PMC10073891 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.03.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Lophotrochozoa is one of the most species-rich but immunologically poorly explored phyla. Although lack of acquired response in a narrow sense, lophotrochozoans possess various genetic mechanisms that enhance the diversity and specificity of innate immune system. Here, we review the recent advances of comparative immunology studies in lophotrochozoans with focus on immune recognition and effector systems. Haemocytes and coelomocytes are general important yet understudied player. Comparative genomics studies suggest expansion and functional divergence of lophotrochozoan immune reorganization systems is not as "homogeneous and simple" as we thought including the large-scale expansion and molecular divergence of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) (TLRs, RLRs, lectins, etc.) and signaling adapters (MyD88s etc.), significant domain recombination of immune receptors (RLR, NLRs, lectins, etc.), extensive somatic recombination of fibrinogenrelated proteins (FREPs) in snails. Furthermore, there are repeatedly identified molecular mechanisms that generate immune effector diversity, including high polymorphism of antimicrobial peptides and proteins (AMPs), reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) and cytokines. Finally, we argue that the next generation omics tools and the recently emerged genome editing technicism will revolutionize our understanding of innate immune system in a comparative immunology perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongnan Li
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology & Center of Deep Sea Research, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Yu Xue
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology & Center of Deep Sea Research, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Zhangjie Peng
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology & Center of Deep Sea Research, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- College of Marine Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Linlin Zhang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology & Center of Deep Sea Research, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
- College of Marine Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Corresponding author at: CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology & Center of Deep Sea Research, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
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Barela Hudgell MA, Smith LC. The complex set of internal repeats in SpTransformer protein sequences result in multiple but limited alternative alignments. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1000177. [PMID: 36330505 PMCID: PMC9623053 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1000177] [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: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The SpTransformer (SpTrf) gene family encodes a set of proteins that function in the sea urchin immune system. The gene sequences have a series of internal repeats in a mosaic pattern that is characteristic of this family. This mosaic pattern necessitates the insertion of large gaps, which has made alignments of the deduced protein sequences computationally difficult such that only manual alignments have been reported previously. Because manual alignments are time consuming for evaluating newly available SpTrf sequences, computational approaches were evaluated for the sequences reported previously. Furthermore, because two different manual alignments of the SpTrf sequences are feasible because of the multiple internal repeats, it is not known whether additional alternative alignments can be identified using different approaches. The bioinformatic program, PRANK, was used because it was designed to align sequences with large gaps and indels. The results from PRANK show that the alignments of the internal repeats are similar to those done manually, suggesting multiple feasible alignments for some regions. GUIDANCE based analysis of the alignments identified regions that were excellent and other regions that failed to align. This suggests that computational approaches have limits for aligning the SpTrf sequences that include multiple repeats and that require inserted gaps. Furthermore, it is unlikely that alternative alignments for the full-length SpTrf sequences will be identified.
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Barela Hudgell MA, Smith LC. Lipofection mediated transfection fails for sea urchin coelomocytes. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267911. [PMID: 35522665 PMCID: PMC9075664 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267911] [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: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular cloning, gene manipulation, gene expression, protein function, and gene regulation all depend on the introduction of nucleic acids into target cells. Multiple methods have been developed to facilitate such delivery including instrument based microinjection and electroporation, biological methods such as transduction, and chemical methods such as calcium phosphate precipitation, cationic polymers, and lipid based transfection, also known as lipofection. Here we report attempts to lipofect sea urchin coelomocytes using DOTAP lipofection reagent packaged with a range of molecules including fluorochromes, in addition to expression constructs, amplicons, and RNA encoding GFP. DOTAP has low cytotoxicity for coelomocytes, however, lipofection of a variety of molecules fails to produce any signature of success based on results from fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. While these results are negative, it is important to report failed attempts so that others conducting similar research do not repeat these approaches. Failure may be the outcome of elevated ionic strength of the coelomocyte culture medium, uptake and degradation of lipoplexes in the endosomal-lysosomal system, failure of the nucleic acids to escape the endosomal vesicles and enter the cytoplasm, and difficulties in lipofecting primary cultures of phagocytic cells. We encourage others to build on this report by using our information to optimize lipofection with a range of other approaches to work towards establishing a successful method of transfecting adult cells from marine invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan A. Barela Hudgell
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - L. Courtney Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Barela Hudgell MA, Smith LC. Sequence Diversity, Locus Structure, and Evolutionary History of the SpTransformer Genes in the Sea Urchin Genome. Front Immunol 2021; 12:744783. [PMID: 34867968 PMCID: PMC8634487 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.744783] [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: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The generation of large immune gene families is often driven by evolutionary pressure exerted on host genomes by their pathogens, which has been described as the immunological arms race. The SpTransformer (SpTrf) gene family from the California purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, is upregulated upon immune challenge and encodes the SpTrf proteins that interact with pathogens during an immune response. Native SpTrf proteins bind both bacteria and yeast, and augment phagocytosis of a marine Vibrio, while a recombinant SpTrf protein (rSpTrf-E1) binds a subset of pathogens and a range of pathogen associated molecular patterns. In the sequenced sea urchin genome, there are four SpTrf gene clusters for a total of 17 genes. Here, we report an in-depth analysis of these genes to understand the sequence complexities of this family, its genomic structure, and to derive a putative evolutionary history for the formation of the gene clusters. We report a detailed characterization of gene structure including the intron type and UTRs with conserved transcriptional start sites, the start codon and multiple stop codons, and locations of polyadenylation signals. Phylogenetic and percent mismatch analyses of the genes and the intergenic regions allowed us to predict the last common ancestral SpTrf gene and a theoretical evolutionary history of the gene family. The appearance of the gene clusters from the theoretical ancestral gene may have been driven by multiple duplication and deletion events of regions containing SpTrf genes. Duplications and ectopic insertion events, indels, and point mutations in the exons likely resulted in the extant genes and family structure. This theoretical evolutionary history is consistent with the involvement of these genes in the arms race in responses to pathogens and suggests that the diversification of these genes and their encoded proteins have been selected for based on the survival benefits of pathogen binding and host protection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - L. Courtney Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
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Yakovenko I, Agronin J, Smith LC, Oren M. Guardian of the Genome: An Alternative RAG/Transib Co-Evolution Hypothesis for the Origin of V(D)J Recombination. Front Immunol 2021; 12:709165. [PMID: 34394111 PMCID: PMC8355894 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.709165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The appearance of adaptive immunity in jawed vertebrates is termed the immunological 'Big Bang' because of the short evolutionary time over which it developed. Underlying it is the recombination activating gene (RAG)-based V(D)J recombination system, which initiates the sequence diversification of the immunoglobulins and lymphocyte antigen receptors. It was convincingly argued that the RAG1 and RAG2 genes originated from a single transposon. The current dogma postulates that the V(D)J recombination system was established by the split of a primordial vertebrate immune receptor gene into V and J segments by a RAG1/2 transposon, in parallel with the domestication of the same transposable element in a separate genomic locus as the RAG recombinase. Here, based on a new interpretation of previously published data, we propose an alternative evolutionary hypothesis suggesting that two different elements, a RAG1/2 transposase and a Transib transposon invader with RSS-like terminal inverted repeats, co-evolved to work together, resulting in a functional recombination process. This hypothesis offers an alternative understanding of the acquisition of recombinase function by RAGs and the origin of the V(D)J system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iryna Yakovenko
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - Jacob Agronin
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - L. Courtney Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Matan Oren
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
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Mandujano-Tinoco EA, Sultan E, Ottolenghi A, Gershoni-Yahalom O, Rosental B. Evolution of Cellular Immunity Effector Cells; Perspective on Cytotoxic and Phagocytic Cellular Lineages. Cells 2021; 10:1853. [PMID: 34440622 PMCID: PMC8394812 DOI: 10.3390/cells10081853] [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: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The immune system has evolved to protect organisms from infections caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasitic pathogens. In addition, it provides regenerative capacities, tissue maintenance, and self/non-self recognition of foreign tissues. Phagocytosis and cytotoxicity are two prominent cellular immune activities positioned at the base of immune effector function in mammals. Although these immune mechanisms have diversified into a wide heterogeneous repertoire of effector cells, it appears that they share some common cellular and molecular features in all animals, but also some interesting convergent mechanisms. In this review, we will explore the current knowledge about the evolution of phagocytic and cytotoxic immune lineages against pathogens, in the clearance of damaged cells, for regeneration, for histocompatibility recognition, and in killing virally infected cells. To this end, we give different immune examples of multicellular organism models, ranging from the roots of bilateral organisms to chordate invertebrates, comparing to vertebrates' lineages. In this review, we compare cellular lineage homologies at the cellular and molecular levels. We aim to highlight and discuss the diverse function plasticity within the evolved immune effector cells, and even suggest the costs and benefits that it may imply for organisms with the meaning of greater defense against pathogens but less ability to regenerate damaged tissues and organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edna Ayerim Mandujano-Tinoco
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, and Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research Center, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel; (E.S.); (A.O.); (O.G.-Y.)
- Laboratory of Connective Tissue, Centro Nacional de Investigación y Atención de Quemados, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación “Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra”, Calzada Mexico-Xochimilco No. 289, Col. Arenal de Guadalupe, Tlalpan, Mexico City 14389, Mexico
| | - Eliya Sultan
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, and Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research Center, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel; (E.S.); (A.O.); (O.G.-Y.)
| | - Aner Ottolenghi
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, and Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research Center, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel; (E.S.); (A.O.); (O.G.-Y.)
| | - Orly Gershoni-Yahalom
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, and Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research Center, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel; (E.S.); (A.O.); (O.G.-Y.)
| | - Benyamin Rosental
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, and Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research Center, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel; (E.S.); (A.O.); (O.G.-Y.)
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The Diverse Transformer (Trf) Protein Family in the Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus Acts through a Collaboration between Cellular and Humoral Immune Effector Arms. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22136639. [PMID: 34206148 PMCID: PMC8268236 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22136639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Sea urchins are long-living marine invertebrates with a complex innate immune system, which includes expanded families of immune receptors. A central immune gene family in sea urchins encodes the Transformer (Trf) proteins. The Trf family has been studied mainly in the purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Here, we explore this protein family in the Mediterranean Sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. The PlTrf genes and predicted proteins are highly diverse and show a typical Trf size range and structure. Coelomocytes and cell-free coelomic fluid from P. lividus contain different PlTrf protein repertoires with a shared subset, that bind specifically to E. coli. Using FACS, we identified five different P. lividus coelomocyte sub-populations with cell surface PlTrf protein expression. The relative abundance of the PlTrf-positive cells increases sharply following immune challenge with E. coli, but not following challenge with LPS or the sea urchin pathogen, Vibrio penaeicida. Phagocytosis of E. coli by P. lividus phagocytes is mediated through the cell-free coelomic fluid and is inhibited by blocking PlTrf activity with anti-SpTrf antibodies. Together, our results suggest a collaboration between cellular and humoral PlTrf-mediated effector arms in the P. lividus specific immune response to pathogens.
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Hijazi H, Coelho FS, Gonzaga-Jauregui C, Bernardini L, Mar SS, Manning MA, Hanson-Kahn A, Naidu S, Srivastava S, Lee JA, Jones JR, Friez MJ, Alberico T, Torres B, Fang P, Cheung SW, Song X, Davis-Williams A, Jornlin C, Wight PA, Patyal P, Taube J, Poretti A, Inoue K, Zhang F, Pehlivan D, Carvalho CMB, Hobson GM, Lupski JR. Xq22 deletions and correlation with distinct neurological disease traits in females: Further evidence for a contiguous gene syndrome. Hum Mutat 2019; 41:150-168. [PMID: 31448840 DOI: 10.1002/humu.23902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Revised: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Xq22 deletions that encompass PLP1 (Xq22-PLP1-DEL) are notable for variable expressivity of neurological disease traits in females ranging from a mild late-onset form of spastic paraplegia type 2 (MIM# 312920), sometimes associated with skewed X-inactivation, to an early-onset neurological disease trait (EONDT) of severe developmental delay, intellectual disability, and behavioral abnormalities. Size and gene content of Xq22-PLP1-DEL vary and were proposed as potential molecular etiologies underlying variable expressivity in carrier females where two smallest regions of overlap (SROs) were suggested to influence disease. We ascertained a cohort of eight unrelated patients harboring Xq22-PLP1-DEL and performed high-density array comparative genomic hybridization and breakpoint-junction sequencing. Molecular characterization of Xq22-PLP1-DEL from 17 cases (eight herein and nine published) revealed an overrepresentation of breakpoints that reside within repeats (11/17, ~65%) and the clustering of ~47% of proximal breakpoints in a genomic instability hotspot with characteristic non-B DNA density. These findings implicate a potential role for genomic architecture in stimulating the formation of Xq22-PLP1-DEL. The correlation of Xq22-PLP1-DEL gene content with neurological disease trait in female cases enabled refinement of the associated SROs to a single genomic interval containing six genes. Our data support the hypothesis that genes contiguous to PLP1 contribute to EONDT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadia Hijazi
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Fernanda S Coelho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética Departmento de Biologia Geral, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.,Instituto René Rachou, FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - Laura Bernardini
- Medical Genetics Division, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Foundation, San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy
| | - Soe S Mar
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Melanie A Manning
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California.,Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California
| | - Andrea Hanson-Kahn
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California.,Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California
| | - SakkuBai Naidu
- Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of Neurogenetics, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | - Jennifer A Lee
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Greenwood Genetic Center, Greenwood, South Carolina
| | - Julie R Jones
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Greenwood Genetic Center, Greenwood, South Carolina
| | - Michael J Friez
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Greenwood Genetic Center, Greenwood, South Carolina
| | - Thomas Alberico
- Nemours Biomedical Research, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
| | - Barbara Torres
- Medical Genetics Division, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" Foundation, San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy
| | - Ping Fang
- Clinical Genomics, WuXi NextCODE, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Sau Wai Cheung
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Xiaofei Song
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Angelique Davis-Williams
- Nemours Biomedical Research, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
| | - Carly Jornlin
- Nemours Biomedical Research, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
| | - Patricia A Wight
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - Pankaj Patyal
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
| | - Jennifer Taube
- Nemours Biomedical Research, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
| | - Andrea Poretti
- Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ken Inoue
- Department of Mental Retardation and Birth Defect Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Feng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering at School of Life Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Institute of Reproduction and Development, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Davut Pehlivan
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Section of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Claudia M B Carvalho
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Grace M Hobson
- Nemours Biomedical Research, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
| | - James R Lupski
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
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12
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The architecture of the Plasmodiophora brassicae nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15753. [PMID: 31673019 PMCID: PMC6823432 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52274-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodiophora brassicae is a soil-borne pathogen that attacks roots of cruciferous plants causing clubroot disease. The pathogen belongs to the Plasmodiophorida order in Phytomyxea. Here we used long-read SMRT technology to clarify the P. brassicae e3 genomic constituents along with comparative and phylogenetic analyses. Twenty contigs representing the nuclear genome and one mitochondrial (mt) contig were generated, together comprising 25.1 Mbp. Thirteen of the 20 nuclear contigs represented chromosomes from telomere to telomere characterized by [TTTTAGGG] sequences. Seven active gene candidates encoding synaptonemal complex-associated and meiotic-related protein homologs were identified, a finding that argues for possible genetic recombination events. The circular mt genome is large (114,663 bp), gene dense and intron rich. It shares high synteny with the mt genome of Spongospora subterranea, except in a unique 12 kb region delimited by shifts in GC content and containing tandem minisatellite- and microsatellite repeats with partially palindromic sequences. De novo annotation identified 32 protein-coding genes, 28 structural RNA genes and 19 ORFs. ORFs predicted in the repeat-rich region showed similarities to diverse organisms suggesting possible evolutionary connections. The data generated here form a refined platform for the next step involving functional analysis, all to clarify the complex biology of P. brassicae.
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13
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Buckley KM, Dong P, Cameron RA, Rast JP. Bacterial artificial chromosomes as recombinant reporter constructs to investigate gene expression and regulation in echinoderms. Brief Funct Genomics 2019; 17:362-371. [PMID: 29045542 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elx031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome sequences contain all the necessary information-both coding and regulatory sequences-to construct an organism. The developmental process translates this genomic information into a three-dimensional form. One interpretation of this translation process can be described using gene regulatory network (GRN) models, which are maps of interactions among regulatory gene products in time and space. As high throughput investigations reveal increasing complexity within these GRNs, it becomes apparent that efficient methods are required to test the necessity and sufficiency of regulatory interactions. One of the most complete GRNs for early development has been described in the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. This work has been facilitated by two resources: a well-annotated genome sequence and transgenes generated in bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) constructs. BAC libraries played a central role in assembling the S. purpuratus genome sequence and continue to serve as platforms for generating reporter constructs for use in expression and regulatory analyses. Optically transparent echinoderm larvae are highly amenable to transgenic approaches and are therefore particularly well suited for experiments that rely on BAC-based reporter transgenes. Here, we discuss the experimental utility of BAC constructs in the context of understanding developmental processes in echinoderm embryos and larvae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M Buckley
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Ping Dong
- California Institute of Technology, California, USA
| | - R Andrew Cameron
- Beckman Institute Center for Computational Regulatory Genomics, California Institute for Technology, California, USA
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14
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Oren M, Rosental B, Hawley TS, Kim GY, Agronin J, Reynolds CR, Grayfer L, Smith LC. Individual Sea Urchin Coelomocytes Undergo Somatic Immune Gene Diversification. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1298. [PMID: 31244844 PMCID: PMC6563789 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The adaptive immune response in jawed vertebrates is marked by the ability to diversify somatically specific immune receptor genes. Somatic recombination and hypermutation of gene segments are used to generate extensive repertoires of T and B cell receptors. In contrast, jawless vertebrates utilize a distinct diversification system based on copy choice to assemble their variable lymphocyte receptors. To date, very little evidence for somatic immune gene diversification has been reported in invertebrate species. Here we show that the SpTransformer (SpTrf ; formerly Sp185/333) immune effector gene family members from individual coelomocytes from purple sea urchins undergo somatic diversification by means of gene deletions, duplications, and acquisitions of single nucleotide polymorphisms. While sperm cells from an individual sea urchin have identical SpTrf gene repertoires, single cells from two distinct coelomocyte subpopulations from the same sea urchin exhibit significant variation in the SpTrf gene repertoires. Moreover, the highly diverse gene sequences derived from single coelomocytes are all in-frame, suggesting that an unknown mechanism(s) driving these somatic changes involve stringent selection or correction processes for expression of productive SpTrf transcripts. Together, our findings infer somatic immune gene diversification strategy in an invertebrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matan Oren
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel.,Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Benyamin Rosental
- French Associates' Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel.,Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States.,Department of Pathology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, United States
| | - Teresa S Hawley
- Flow Cytometry Section, Research Technologies Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Gi-Young Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States.,Department of Marine Life Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju City, South Korea
| | - Jacob Agronin
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Caroline R Reynolds
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Leon Grayfer
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - L Courtney Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
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15
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Shurer CR, Wang Y, Feeney E, Head SE, Zhang VX, Su J, Cheng Z, Stark MA, Bonassar LJ, Reesink HL, Paszek MJ. Stable recombinant production of codon-scrambled lubricin and mucin in human cells. Biotechnol Bioeng 2019; 116:1292-1303. [PMID: 30684357 PMCID: PMC6764099 DOI: 10.1002/bit.26940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2018] [Revised: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Widespread therapeutic and commercial interest in recombinant mucin technology has emerged due to the unique ability of mucin glycoproteins to hydrate, protect, and lubricate biological surfaces. However, recombinant production of the large, highly repetitive domains that are characteristic of mucins remains a challenge in biomanufacturing likely due, at least in part, to the inherent instability of DNA repeats in the cellular genome. To overcome this challenge, we exploit codon redundancy to encode desired mucin polypeptides with minimal nucleotide repetition. The codon-scrambling strategy was applied to generate synonymous genes, or "synDNAs," for two mucins of commercial interest: lubricin and mucin 1. Stable, long-term recombinant production in suspension-adapted human 293-F cells was demonstrated for the synonymous lubricin complementary DNA (cDNA), which we refer to as SynLubricin. Under optimal conditions, a 293-F subpopulation produced recombinant SynLubricin at more than 200 mg/L of media and was stable throughout 2 months of continuous culture. Functionality tests confirmed that the recombinant lubricin could effectively inhibit cell adhesion and lubricate cartilage explants. Together, our work provides a viable workflow for cDNA design and stable mucin production in mammalian host production systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn R. Shurer
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Yuyan Wang
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Elizabeth Feeney
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Shelby E. Head
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Victoria X. Zhang
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Jin Su
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Zhu Cheng
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Morgan A. Stark
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | | | - Heidi L. Reesink
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Matthew J. Paszek
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
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16
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Shurer CR, Head SE, Goudge MC, Paszek MJ. Mucin-coating technologies for protection and reduced aggregation of cellular production systems. Biotechnol Bioeng 2019; 116:994-1005. [PMID: 30636317 PMCID: PMC6763341 DOI: 10.1002/bit.26916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Optimization of host-cell production systems with improved yield and production reliability is desired to meet the increasing demand for biologics with complex posttranslational modifications. Aggregation of suspension-adapted mammalian cells remains a significant problem that can limit the cellular density and per volume yield of bioreactors. Here, we propose a genetically encoded technology that directs the synthesis of antiadhesive and protective coatings on the cellular surface. Inspired by the natural ability of mucin glycoproteins to resist cellular adhesion and hydrate and protect cell and tissue surfaces, we genetically encode new cell-surface coatings through the fusion of engineered mucin domains to synthetic transmembrane anchors. Combined with appropriate expression systems, the mucin-coating technology directs the assembly of thick, highly hydrated barriers to strongly mitigate cell aggregation and protect cells in suspension against fluid shear stresses. The coating technology is demonstrated on suspension-adapted human 293-F cells, which resist clumping even in media formulations that otherwise would induce extreme cell aggregation and show improved performance over a commercially available anticlumping agent. The stable biopolymer coatings do not show deleterious effects on cell proliferation rate, efficiency of transient transfection with complementary DNAs, or recombinant protein expression. Overall, our mucin-coating technology and engineered cell lines have the potential to improve the single-cell growth and viability of suspended cells in bioreactors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn R. Shurer
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
| | - Shelby E. Head
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
| | - Marc C. Goudge
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
| | - Matthew J. Paszek
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
- Field of Biophysics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
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17
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Edger PP, VanBuren R, Colle M, Poorten TJ, Wai CM, Niederhuth CE, Alger EI, Ou S, Acharya CB, Wang J, Callow P, McKain MR, Shi J, Collier C, Xiong Z, Mower JP, Slovin JP, Hytönen T, Jiang N, Childs KL, Knapp SJ. Single-molecule sequencing and optical mapping yields an improved genome of woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) with chromosome-scale contiguity. Gigascience 2018; 7:1-7. [PMID: 29253147 PMCID: PMC5801600 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/gix124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Although draft genomes are available for most agronomically important plant species, the majority are incomplete, highly fragmented, and often riddled with assembly and scaffolding errors. These assembly issues hinder advances in tool development for functional genomics and systems biology. Findings Here we utilized a robust, cost-effective approach to produce high-quality reference genomes. We report a near-complete genome of diploid woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) using single-molecule real-time sequencing from Pacific Biosciences (PacBio). This assembly has a contig N50 length of ∼7.9 million base pairs (Mb), representing a ∼300-fold improvement of the previous version. The vast majority (>99.8%) of the assembly was anchored to 7 pseudomolecules using 2 sets of optical maps from Bionano Genomics. We obtained ∼24.96 Mb of sequence not present in the previous version of the F. vesca genome and produced an improved annotation that includes 1496 new genes. Comparative syntenic analyses uncovered numerous, large-scale scaffolding errors present in each chromosome in the previously published version of the F. vesca genome. Conclusions Our results highlight the need to improve existing short-read based reference genomes. Furthermore, we demonstrate how genome quality impacts commonly used analyses for addressing both fundamental and applied biological questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick P Edger
- Department of Horticulture, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Department of Plant Biology, and Center for Genomics Enabled Plant Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823.,Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Department of Plant Biology, and Center for Genomics Enabled Plant Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823
| | - Robert VanBuren
- Department of Horticulture, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Department of Plant Biology, and Center for Genomics Enabled Plant Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823
| | - Marivi Colle
- Department of Horticulture, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Department of Plant Biology, and Center for Genomics Enabled Plant Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823
| | - Thomas J Poorten
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California - Davis, Davis, California, 95616
| | - Ching Man Wai
- Department of Horticulture, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Department of Plant Biology, and Center for Genomics Enabled Plant Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823
| | - Chad E Niederhuth
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602
| | - Elizabeth I Alger
- Department of Horticulture, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Department of Plant Biology, and Center for Genomics Enabled Plant Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823
| | - Shujun Ou
- Department of Horticulture, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Department of Plant Biology, and Center for Genomics Enabled Plant Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823.,Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Department of Plant Biology, and Center for Genomics Enabled Plant Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823
| | - Charlotte B Acharya
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California - Davis, Davis, California, 95616
| | - Jie Wang
- Department of Plant Biology, and Center for Genomics Enabled Plant Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823
| | - Pete Callow
- Department of Horticulture, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Department of Plant Biology, and Center for Genomics Enabled Plant Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823
| | - Michael R McKain
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri, 63132
| | - Jinghua Shi
- Bionano Genomics, San Diego, California, 92121
| | | | - Zhiyong Xiong
- Potato Engineering and Technology Research Center, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010021, China
| | - Jeffrey P Mower
- Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588
| | - Janet P Slovin
- USDA/ARS, Genetic Improvement of Fruits and Vegetables Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705
| | - Timo Hytönen
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Viikki Plant Science Centre, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Ning Jiang
- Department of Horticulture, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Department of Plant Biology, and Center for Genomics Enabled Plant Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823.,Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Department of Plant Biology, and Center for Genomics Enabled Plant Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823
| | - Kevin L Childs
- Department of Plant Biology, and Center for Genomics Enabled Plant Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823.,Center for Genomics Enabled Plant Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823
| | - Steven J Knapp
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California - Davis, Davis, California, 95616
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18
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Chou HY, Lun CM, Smith LC. SpTransformer proteins from the purple sea urchin opsonize bacteria, augment phagocytosis, and retard bacterial growth. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0196890. [PMID: 29738524 PMCID: PMC5940198 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, has a complex and robust immune system that is mediated by a number of multi-gene families including the SpTransformer (SpTrf) gene family (formerly Sp185/333). In response to immune challenge from bacteria and various pathogen-associated molecular patterns, the SpTrf genes are up-regulated in sea urchin phagocytes and express a diverse array of SpTrf proteins. We show here that SpTrf proteins from coelomocytes and isolated by nickel affinity (cNi-SpTrf) bind to Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and to Baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with saturable kinetics and specificity. cNi-SpTrf opsonization of the marine bacteria, Vibrio diazotrophicus, augments phagocytosis, however, opsonization by the recombinant protein, rSpTrf-E1, does not. Binding by cNi-SpTrf proteins retards growth rates significantly for several species of bacteria. SpTrf proteins, previously thought to be strictly membrane-associated, are secreted from phagocytes in short term cultures and bind V. diazotrophicus that are located both outside of and within phagocytes. Our results demonstrate anti-microbial activities of native SpTrf proteins and suggest variable functions among different SpTrf isoforms. Multiple isoforms may act synergistically to detect a wide array of pathogens and provide flexible and efficient host immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung-Yen Chou
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Cheng Man Lun
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - L. Courtney Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America
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19
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Smith LC, Lun CM. The SpTransformer Gene Family (Formerly Sp185/333) in the Purple Sea Urchin and the Functional Diversity of the Anti-Pathogen rSpTransformer-E1 Protein. Front Immunol 2017; 8:725. [PMID: 28713368 PMCID: PMC5491942 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The complex innate immune system of sea urchins is underpinned by several multigene families including the SpTransformer family (SpTrf; formerly Sp185/333) with estimates of ~50 members, although the family size is likely variable among individuals of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. The genes are small with similar structure, are tightly clustered, and have several types of repeats in the second of two exons and that surround each gene. The density of repeats suggests that the genes are positioned within regions of genomic instability, which may be required to drive sequence diversification. The second exon encodes the mature protein and is composed of blocks of sequence called elements that are present in mosaics of defined element patterns and are the major source of sequence diversity. The SpTrf genes respond swiftly to immune challenge, but only a single gene is expressed per phagocyte. Many of the mRNAs appear to be edited and encode proteins with altered and/or missense sequence that are often truncated, of which some may be functional. The standard SpTrf protein structure is an N-terminal glycine-rich region, a central RGD motif, a histidine-rich region, and a C-terminal region. Function is predicted from a recombinant protein, rSpTransformer-E1 (rSpTrf-E1), which binds to Vibrio and Saccharomyces, but not to Bacillus, and binds tightly to lipopolysaccharide, β-1,3-glucan, and flagellin, but not to peptidoglycan. rSpTrf-E1 is intrinsically disordered but transforms to α helical structure in the presence of binding targets including lipopolysaccharide, which may underpin the characteristics of binding to multiple targets. SpTrf proteins associate with coelomocyte membranes, and rSpTrf-E1 binds specifically to phosphatidic acid (PA). When rSpTrf-E1 is bound to PA in liposome membranes, it induces morphological changes in liposomes that correlate with PA clustering and leakage of luminal contents, and it extracts or removes PA from the bilayer. The multitasking activities of rSpTrf-E1 infer multiple and perhaps overlapping activities for the hundreds of native SpTrf proteins that are produced by individual sea urchins. This likely generates a flexible and highly protective immune system for the sea urchin in its marine habitat that it shares with broad arrays of microbes that may be pathogens and opportunists.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Courtney Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Cheng Man Lun
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
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20
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Lun CM, Samuel RL, Gillmor SD, Boyd A, Smith LC. The Recombinant Sea Urchin Immune Effector Protein, rSpTransformer-E1, Binds to Phosphatidic Acid and Deforms Membranes. Front Immunol 2017; 8:481. [PMID: 28553283 PMCID: PMC5427130 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, possesses a sophisticated innate immune system that functions without adaptive capabilities and responds to pathogens effectively by expressing the highly diverse SpTransformer gene family (formerly the Sp185/333 gene family). The swift gene expression response and the sequence diversity of SpTransformer cDNAs suggest that the encoded proteins have immune functions. Individual sea urchins can express up to 260 distinct SpTransformer proteins, and their diversity suggests that different versions may have different functions. Although the deduced proteins are diverse, they share an overall structure of a hydrophobic leader, a glycine-rich N-terminal region, a histidine-rich region, and a C-terminal region. Circular dichroism analysis of a recombinant SpTransformer protein, rSpTransformer-E1 (rSpTrf-E1) demonstrates that it is intrinsically disordered and transforms to α helical in the presence of buffer additives and binding targets. Although native SpTrf proteins are associated with the membranes of perinuclear vesicles in the phagocyte class of coelomocytes and are present on the surface of small phagocytes, they have no predicted transmembrane region or conserved site for glycophosphatidylinositol linkage. To determine whether native SpTrf proteins associate with phagocyte membranes through interactions with lipids, when rSpTrf-E1 is incubated with lipid-embedded nylon strips, it binds to phosphatidic acid (PA) through both the glycine-rich region and the histidine-rich region. Synthetic liposomes composed of PA and phosphatidylcholine show binding between rSpTrf-E1 and PA by fluorescence resonance energy transfer, which is associated with leakage of luminal contents suggesting changes in lipid organization and perhaps liposome lysis. Interactions with liposomes also change membrane curvature leading to liposome budding, fusion, and invagination, which is associated with PA clustering induced by rSpTrf-E1 binding. Longer incubations result in the extraction of PA from the liposomes, which form disorganized clusters. CD shows that when rSpTrf-E1 binds to PA, it changes its secondary structure from disordered to α helical. These results provide evidence for how SpTransformer proteins may associate with molecules that have exposed phosphates including PA on cell membranes and how the characteristic of protein multimerization may drive changes in the organization of membrane lipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Man Lun
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Robin L. Samuel
- Department of Chemistry, George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Susan D. Gillmor
- Department of Chemistry, George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Anthony Boyd
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall, Washington, DC, USA
| | - L. Courtney Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall, Washington, DC, USA
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Lun CM, Bishop BM, Smith LC. Multitasking Immune Sp185/333 Protein, rSpTransformer-E1, and Its Recombinant Fragments Undergo Secondary Structural Transformation upon Binding Targets. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2017; 198:2957-2966. [PMID: 28242650 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1601795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2016] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, expresses a diverse immune response protein family called Sp185/333. A recombinant Sp185/333 protein, previously called rSp0032, shows multitasking antipathogen binding ability, suggesting that the protein family mediates a flexible and effective immune response to multiple foreign cells. Bioinformatic analysis predicts that rSp0032 is intrinsically disordered, and its multiple binding characteristic suggests structural flexibility to adopt different conformations depending on the characteristics of the target. To address the flexibility and structural shifting hypothesis, circular dichroism analysis of rSp0032 suggests that it transforms from disordered (random coil) to α helical structure. This structural transformation may be the basis for the strong affinity between rSp0032 and several pathogen-associated molecular patterns. The N-terminal Gly-rich fragment of rSp0032 and the C-terminal His-rich fragment show unique transformations by either intensifying the α helical structure or changing from α helical to β strand depending on the solvents and molecules added to the buffer. Based on these results, we propose a name change from rSp0032 to rSpTransformer-E1 to represent its flexible structural conformations and its E1 element pattern. Given that rSpTransformer-E1 shifts its conformation in the presence of solvents and binding targets and that all Sp185/333 proteins are predicted to be disordered, many or all of these proteins may undergo structural transformation to enable multitasking binding activity toward a wide range of targets. Consequently, we also propose an overarching name change for the entire family from Sp185/333 proteins to SpTransformer proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Man Lun
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052; and
| | - Barney M Bishop
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, George Mason University, Manassas, VA 20110
| | - L Courtney Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052; and
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