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Ricci-Tam C, Kuipa S, Kostman MP, Aronson MS, Sgro AE. Microbial models of development: Inspiration for engineering self-assembled synthetic multicellularity. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2023; 141:50-62. [PMID: 35537929 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
While the field of synthetic developmental biology has traditionally focused on the study of the rich developmental processes seen in metazoan systems, an attractive alternate source of inspiration comes from microbial developmental models. Microbes face unique lifestyle challenges when forming emergent multicellular collectives. As a result, the solutions they employ can inspire the design of novel multicellular systems. In this review, we dissect the strategies employed in multicellular development by two model microbial systems: the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum and the biofilm-forming bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Both microbes face similar challenges but often have different solutions, both from metazoan systems and from each other, to create emergent multicellularity. These challenges include assembling and sustaining a critical mass of participating individuals to support development, regulating entry into development, and assigning cell fates. The mechanisms these microbial systems exploit to robustly coordinate development under a wide range of conditions offer inspiration for a new toolbox of solutions to the synthetic development community. Additionally, recreating these phenomena synthetically offers a pathway to understanding the key principles underlying how these behaviors are coordinated naturally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Ricci-Tam
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Sophia Kuipa
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Maya Peters Kostman
- Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry Program, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Mark S Aronson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Allyson E Sgro
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry Program, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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2
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Kin K, Chen ZH, Forbes G, Lawal H, Schilde C, Singh R, Cole C, Barton GJ, Schaap P. The protein kinases of Dictyostelia and their incorporation into a signalome. Cell Signal 2023; 108:110714. [PMID: 37187217 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2023.110714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Protein kinases are major regulators of cellular processes, but the roles of most kinases remain unresolved. Dictyostelid social amoebas have been useful in identifying functions for 30% of its kinases in cell migration, cytokinesis, vesicle trafficking, gene regulation and other processes but their upstream regulators and downstream effectors are mostly unknown. Comparative genomics can assist to distinguish between genes involved in deeply conserved core processes and those involved in species-specific innovations, while co-expression of genes as evident from comparative transcriptomics can provide cues to the protein complement of regulatory networks. Genomes and developmental and cell-type specific transcriptomes are available for species that span the 0.5 billion years of evolution of Dictyostelia from their unicellular ancestors. In this work we analysed conservation and change in the abundance, functional domain architecture and developmental regulation of protein kinases across the 4 major taxon groups of Dictyostelia. All data are summarized in annotated phylogenetic trees of the kinase subtypes and accompanied by functional information of all kinases that were experimentally studied. We detected 393 different protein kinase domains across the five studied genomes, of which 212 were fully conserved. Conservation was highest (71%) in the previously defined AGC, CAMK, CK1, CMCG, STE and TKL groups and lowest (26%) in the "other" group of typical protein kinases. This was mostly due to species-specific single gene amplification of "other" kinases. Apart from the AFK and α-kinases, the atypical protein kinases, such as the PIKK and histidine kinases were also almost fully conserved. The phylogeny-wide developmental and cell-type specific expression profiles of the protein kinase genes were combined with profiles from the same transcriptomic experiments for the families of G-protein coupled receptors, small GTPases and their GEFs and GAPs, the transcription factors and for all genes that upon lesion generate a developmental defect. This dataset was subjected to hierarchical clustering to identify clusters of co-expressed genes that potentially act together in a signalling network. The work provides a valuable resource that allows researchers to identify protein kinases and other regulatory proteins that are likely to act as intermediates in a network of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koryu Kin
- Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom; Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Zhi-Hui Chen
- Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Gillian Forbes
- Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom; Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon (IGFL), CNRS, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon and Université Claude Bernard Lyon-1, Lyon 69007, France.
| | - Hajara Lawal
- Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Christina Schilde
- Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom; D'Arcy Thompson Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN, United Kingdom.
| | - Reema Singh
- Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom; Computational Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom; Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan,120 Veterinary Road, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E3, Canada.
| | - Christian Cole
- Computational Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom; Population Health and Genomics, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee DD1 9SY, United Kingdom
| | - Geoffrey J Barton
- Computational Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Pauline Schaap
- Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom.
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Hall G, Kelly S, Schaap P, Schilde C. Phylogeny-wide analysis of G-protein coupled receptors in social amoebas and implications for the evolution of multicellularity. OPEN RESEARCH EUROPE 2023; 2:134. [PMID: 37645274 PMCID: PMC10445921 DOI: 10.12688/openreseurope.15250.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are seven-transmembrane proteins and constitute the largest group of receptors within eukaryotes. The presence of a large set of GPCRs in the unicellular Amoebozoa was surprising and is indicative of the largely undiscovered environmental sensing capabilities in this group. Evolutionary transitions from unicellular to multicellular lifestyles, like we see in social amoebas, have occurred several times independently in the Amoebozoa, and GPCRs may have been co-opted for new functions in cell-cell communication. Methods We have analysed a set of GPCRs from fully sequenced Amoebozoan genomes by Bayesian inference, compared their phylogenetic distribution and domain composition, and analysed their temporal and spatial expression patterns in five species of dictyostelids. Results We found evidence that most GPCRs are conserved deeply in the Amoebozoa and are probably performing roles in general cell functions and complex environmental sensing. All families of GPCRs (apart from the family 4 fungal pheromone receptors) are present in dictyostelids with family 5 being the largest and family 2 the one with the fewest members. For the first time, we identify the presence of family 1 rhodopsin-like GPCRs in dictyostelids. Some GPCRs have been amplified in the dictyostelids and in specific lineages thereof and through changes in expression patterns may have been repurposed for signalling in multicellular development. Discussion Our phylogenetic analysis suggests that GPCR families 1, 2 and 6 already diverged early in the Amoebozoa, whereas families 3 and 5 expanded later within the dictyostelids. The family 6 cAMP receptors that have experimentally supported roles in multicellular development in dictyostelids ( carA-carD; tasA/B) originated at the root of all dictyostelids and only have weakly associated homologs in Physarum polycephalum. Our analysis identified candidate GPCRs which have evolved in the dictyostelids and could have been co-opted for multicellular development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant Hall
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Sarah Kelly
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
- Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK
| | - Pauline Schaap
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
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Yellow polyketide pigment suppresses premature hatching in social amoeba. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2116122119. [PMID: 36252029 PMCID: PMC9618038 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2116122119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Low-molecular-weight natural products from microbes are indispensable in the development of potent drugs. However, their biological roles within an ecological context often remain elusive. Here, we shed light on natural products from eukaryotic microorganisms that have the ability to transition from single cells to multicellular organisms: the social amoebae. These eukaryotes harbor a large number of polyketide biosynthetic genes in their genomes, yet virtually none of the corresponding products can be isolated or characterized. Using complementary molecular biology approaches, including CRISPR-Cas9, we generated polyketide synthase (pks5) inactivation and overproduction strains of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. Differential, untargeted metabolomics of wild-type versus mutant fruiting bodies allowed us to pinpoint candidate metabolites derived from the amoebal PKS5. Extrachromosomal expression of the respective gene led to the identification of a yellow polyunsaturated fatty acid. Analysis of the temporospatial production pattern of this compound in conjunction with detailed bioactivity studies revealed the polyketide to be a spore germination suppressor.
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Forbes G, Chen ZH, Kin K, Schaap P. Novel RNAseq-Informed Cell-type Markers and Their Regulation Alter Paradigms of Dictyostelium Developmental Control. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:899316. [PMID: 35602609 PMCID: PMC9117722 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.899316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell differentiation is traditionally monitored with a few marker genes, which may bias results. To understand the evolution and regulation of the spore, stalk, cup and basal disc cells in Dictyostelia, we previously performed RNAseq on purified cell-types of taxon-group representative dictyostelids. Using promoter-lacZ constructs in D. discoideum, we here investigate the spatio-temporal expression pattern of 29 cell-type specific genes. Genes selected for spore- or cup-specificity in RNAseq were validated as such by lacZ expression, but genes selected for stalk-specificity showed variable additional expression in basal disc, early cup or prestalk populations. We measured responses of 25 genes to 15 single or combined regimes of induction by stimuli known to regulate cell differentiation. The outcomes of these experiments were subjected to hierarchical clustering to identify whether common modes of regulation were correlated with specific expression patterns. The analysis identified a cluster combining the spore and cup genes, which shared upregulation by 8-bromo cyclic AMP and down-regulation by Differentiation Inducing Factor 1 (DIF-1). Most stalk-expressed genes combined into a single cluster and shared strong upregulation by cyclic di-guanylate (c-di-GMP), and synergistic upregulation by combined DIF-1 and c-di-GMP. There was no clustering of genes expressed in other soma besides the stalk, but two genes that were only expressed in the stalk did not respond to any stimuli. In contrast to current models, the study indicates the existence of a stem-cell like soma population in slugs, whose members only acquire ultimate cell fate after progressing to their terminal location during fruiting body morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gillian Forbes
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Zhi-Hui Chen
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Koryu Kin
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pauline Schaap
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Pauline Schaap,
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Kim WD, Mathavarajah S, Huber RJ. The Cellular and Developmental Roles of Cullins, Neddylation, and the COP9 Signalosome in Dictyostelium discoideum. Front Physiol 2022; 13:827435. [PMID: 35586714 PMCID: PMC9108976 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.827435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Cullins (CULs) are a core component of cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin ligases (CRLs), which regulate the degradation, function, and subcellular trafficking of proteins. CULs are post-translationally regulated through neddylation, a process that conjugates the ubiquitin-like modifier protein neural precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated protein 8 (NEDD8) to target cullins, as well as non-cullin proteins. Counteracting neddylation is the deneddylase, COP9 signalosome (CSN), which removes NEDD8 from target proteins. Recent comparative genomics studies revealed that CRLs and the CSN are highly conserved in Amoebozoa. A well-studied representative of Amoebozoa, the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, has been used for close to 100 years as a model organism for studying conserved cellular and developmental processes owing to its unique life cycle comprised of unicellular and multicellular phases. The organism is also recognized as an exceptional model system for studying cellular processes impacted by human diseases, including but not limited to, cancer and neurodegeneration. Recent work shows that the neddylation inhibitor, MLN4924 (Pevonedistat), inhibits growth and multicellular development in D. discoideum, which supports previous work that revealed the cullin interactome in D. discoideum and the roles of cullins and the CSN in regulating cellular and developmental processes during the D. discoideum life cycle. Here, we review the roles of cullins, neddylation, and the CSN in D. discoideum to guide future work on using this biomedical model system to further explore the evolutionarily conserved functions of cullins and neddylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- William D. Kim
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
| | | | - Robert J. Huber
- Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
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7
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Kin K, Chen ZH, Forbes G, Schaap P. Evolution of a novel cell type in Dictyostelia required gene duplication of a cudA-like transcription factor. Curr Biol 2022; 32:428-437.e4. [PMID: 34883046 PMCID: PMC8808424 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of novel cell types has been proposed to result from duplication of gene regulatory networks, but proven examples are rare. In addition to stalk cells and spores that make up the fruiting bodies of three major groups of Dictyostelia, those in group 4 additionally evolved basal disc and cup cells that respectively anchor the stalk to the substratum and the spore mass to the stalk. We noted a putative group-4-specific duplication of a cudA-like transcription factor (TF) in a comparative analysis of group-representative genomes. Using increased taxon sampling, we here confirmed that this TF, cdl1, duplicated into cdl1a and cdl1b in the common ancestor to group 4. cdl1a, but not cdl1b, showed signatures of positive selection, indicative of functional innovation. Deletion of cdl1a in Dictyostelium discoideum resulted in fruiting bodies with sagging spore heads that lacked the supporting cup cells and expression of cup-specific genes. Deletion of cdl1b resulted in thinner fruiting body stalks, while a cdl1b-cdl1a- double knockout showed more severe stalk defects, suggesting an ancestral role of cdl1 in stalk formation. This was confirmed in a closely related non-group 4 species, Polysphondylium violaceum, where cdl1 knockout caused defective stalk formation. These data indicate that the group-specific duplication of cdl1 and subsequent diversification of cdl1a played a pivotal role in the evolution of a novel somatic cell type in group 4 Dictyostelia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koryu Kin
- University of Dundee, School of Life Sciences, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK; Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Zhi-Hui Chen
- University of Dundee, School of Life Sciences, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Gillian Forbes
- University of Dundee, School of Life Sciences, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Pauline Schaap
- University of Dundee, School of Life Sciences, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK.
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8
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Forbes G, Schilde C, Lawal H, Kin K, Du Q, Chen ZH, Rivero F, Schaap P. Interactome and evolutionary conservation of Dictyostelid small GTPases and their direct regulators. Small GTPases 2022; 13:239-254. [PMID: 34565293 PMCID: PMC8923023 DOI: 10.1080/21541248.2021.1984829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
GTP binding proteins known as small GTPases make up one of the largest groups of regulatory proteins and control almost all functions of living cells. Their activity is under, respectively, positive and negative regulation by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase activating proteins (GAPs), which together with their upstream regulators and the downstream targets of the small GTPases form formidable signalling networks. While genomics has revealed the large size of the GTPase, GEF and GAP repertoires, only a small fraction of their interactions and functions have yet been experimentally explored. Dictyostelid social amoebas have been particularly useful in unravelling the roles of many proteins in the Rac-Rho and Ras-Rap families of GTPases in directional cell migration and regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. Genomes and cell-type specific and developmental transcriptomes are available for Dictyostelium species that span the 0.5 billion years of evolution of the group from their unicellular ancestors. In this work, we identified all GTPases, GEFs and GAPs from genomes representative of the four major taxon groups and investigated their phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary conservation and changes in their functional domain architecture and in their developmental and cell-type specific expression. We performed a hierarchical cluster analysis of the expression profiles of the ~2000 analysed genes to identify putative interacting sets of GTPases, GEFs and GAPs, which highlight sets known to interact experimentally and many novel combinations. This work represents a valuable resource for research into all fields of cellular regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gillian Forbes
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | | | - Hajara Lawal
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Koryu Kin
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK,CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (Csic-universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Qingyou Du
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Zhi-hui Chen
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Francisco Rivero
- Centre for Atherothrombosis and Metabolic Disease, Hull York Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | - Pauline Schaap
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK,CONTACT Pauline Schaap ; School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Msi/wtb Complex, Dundee, DD15EH, UK
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Bai W, Wells ML, Lai WS, Hicks SN, Burkholder AB, Perera L, Kimmel AR, Blackshear PJ. A post-transcriptional regulon controlled by TtpA, the single tristetraprolin family member expressed in Dictyostelium discoideum. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:11920-11937. [PMID: 34718768 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-transcriptional processes mediated by mRNA binding proteins represent important control points in gene expression. In eukaryotes, mRNAs containing specific AU-rich motifs are regulated by binding of tristetraprolin (TTP) family tandem zinc finger proteins, which promote mRNA deadenylation and decay, partly through interaction of a conserved C-terminal CNOT1 binding (CNB) domain with CCR4-NOT protein complexes. The social ameba Dictyostelium discoideum shared a common ancestor with humans more than a billion years ago, and expresses only one TTP family protein, TtpA, in contrast to three members expressed in humans. Evaluation of ttpA null-mutants identified six transcripts that were consistently upregulated compared to WT during growth and early development. The 3'-untranslated regions (3'-UTRs) of all six 'TtpA-target' mRNAs contained multiple TTP binding motifs (UUAUUUAUU), and one 3'-UTR conferred TtpA post-transcriptional stability regulation to a heterologous mRNA that was abrogated by mutations in the core TTP-binding motifs. All six target transcripts were upregulated to similar extents in a C-terminal truncation mutant, in contrast to less severe effects of analogous mutants in mice. All six target transcripts encoded probable membrane proteins. In Dictyostelium, TtpA may control an 'RNA regulon', where a single RNA binding protein, TtpA, post-transcriptionally co-regulates expression of several functionally related proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenli Bai
- Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Melissa L Wells
- The Signal Transduction Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Wi S Lai
- The Signal Transduction Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Stephanie N Hicks
- The Signal Transduction Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Adam B Burkholder
- Integrative Bioinformatics Support Group, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Lalith Perera
- Genome Integrity and Structural Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Alan R Kimmel
- Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Perry J Blackshear
- The Signal Transduction Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.,The Departments of Medicine and Biochemistry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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10
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Yamada Y, Forbes G, Du Q, Kawata T, Schaap P. Loss of PIKfyve Causes Transdifferentiation of Dictyostelium Spores Into Basal Disc Cells. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:692473. [PMID: 34490246 PMCID: PMC8417116 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.692473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The 1-phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate 5-kinase PIKfyve generates PtdIns3,5P2 on late phagolysosomes, which by recruiting the scission protein Atg18, results in their fragmentation in the normal course of endosome processing. Loss of PIKfyve function causes cellular hypervacuolization in eukaryotes and organ failure in humans. We identified pikfyve as the defective gene in a Dictyostelium mutant that failed to form spores. The amoebas normally differentiated into prespore cells and initiated spore coat protein synthesis in Golgi-derived prespore vesicles. However, instead of exocytosing, the prespore vesicles fused into the single vacuole that typifies the stalk and basal disc cells that support the spores. This process was accompanied by stalk wall biosynthesis, loss of spore gene expression and overexpression of ecmB, a basal disc and stalk-specific gene, but not of the stalk-specific genes DDB_G0278745 and DDB_G0277757. Transdifferentiation of prespore into stalk-like cells was previously observed in mutants that lack early autophagy genes, like atg5, atg7, and atg9. However, while autophagy mutants specifically lacked cAMP induction of prespore gene expression, pikfyve - showed normal early autophagy and prespore induction, but increased in vitro induction of ecmB. Combined, the data suggest that the Dictyostelium endosomal system influences cell fate by acting on cell type specific gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoko Yamada
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Toho University, Funabashi, Japan.,Department of Materials and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Gillian Forbes
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Qingyou Du
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Takefumi Kawata
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Toho University, Funabashi, Japan
| | - Pauline Schaap
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
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11
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McLaren MD, Mathavarajah S, Kim WD, Yap SQ, Huber RJ. Aberrant Autophagy Impacts Growth and Multicellular Development in a Dictyostelium Knockout Model of CLN5 Disease. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:657406. [PMID: 34291044 PMCID: PMC8287835 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.657406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in CLN5 cause a subtype of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL) called CLN5 disease. While the precise role of CLN5 in NCL pathogenesis is not known, recent work revealed that the protein has glycoside hydrolase activity. Previous work on the Dictyostelium discoideum homolog of human CLN5, Cln5, revealed its secretion during the early stages of development and its role in regulating cell adhesion and cAMP-mediated chemotaxis. Here, we used Dictyostelium to examine the effect of cln5-deficiency on various growth and developmental processes during the life cycle. During growth, cln5– cells displayed reduced cell proliferation, cytokinesis, viability, and folic acid-mediated chemotaxis. In addition, the growth of cln5– cells was severely impaired in nutrient-limiting media. Based on these findings, we assessed autophagic flux in growth-phase cells and observed that loss of cln5 increased the number of autophagosomes suggesting that the basal level of autophagy was increased in cln5– cells. Similarly, loss of cln5 increased the amounts of ubiquitin-positive proteins. During the early stages of multicellular development, the aggregation of cln5– cells was delayed and loss of the autophagy genes, atg1 and atg9, reduced the extracellular amount of Cln5. We also observed an increased amount of intracellular Cln5 in cells lacking the Dictyostelium homolog of the human glycoside hydrolase, hexosaminidase A (HEXA), further supporting the glycoside hydrolase activity of Cln5. This observation was also supported by our finding that CLN5 and HEXA expression are highly correlated in human tissues. Following mound formation, cln5– development was precocious and loss of cln5 affected spore morphology, germination, and viability. When cln5– cells were developed in the presence of the autophagy inhibitor ammonium chloride, the formation of multicellular structures was impaired, and the size of cln5– slugs was reduced relative to WT slugs. These results, coupled with the aberrant autophagic flux observed in cln5– cells during growth, support a role for Cln5 in autophagy during the Dictyostelium life cycle. In total, this study highlights the multifaceted role of Cln5 in Dictyostelium and provides insight into the pathological mechanisms that may underlie CLN5 disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meagan D McLaren
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
| | | | - William D Kim
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
| | - Shyong Q Yap
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
| | - Robert J Huber
- Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
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12
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Kin K, Schaap P. Evolution of Multicellular Complexity in The Dictyostelid Social Amoebas. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:487. [PMID: 33801615 PMCID: PMC8067170 DOI: 10.3390/genes12040487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Multicellularity evolved repeatedly in the history of life, but how it unfolded varies greatly between different lineages. Dictyostelid social amoebas offer a good system to study the evolution of multicellular complexity, with a well-resolved phylogeny and molecular genetic tools being available. We compare the life cycles of the Dictyostelids with closely related amoebozoans to show that complex life cycles were already present in the unicellular common ancestor of Dictyostelids. We propose frost resistance as an early driver of multicellular evolution in Dictyostelids and show that the cell signalling pathways for differentiating spore and stalk cells evolved from that for encystation. The stalk cell differentiation program was further modified, possibly through gene duplication, to evolve a new cell type, cup cells, in Group 4 Dictyostelids. Studies in various multicellular organisms, including Dictyostelids, volvocine algae, and metazoans, suggest as a common principle in the evolution of multicellular complexity that unicellular regulatory programs for adapting to environmental change serve as "proto-cell types" for subsequent evolution of multicellular organisms. Later, new cell types could further evolve by duplicating and diversifying the "proto-cell type" gene regulatory networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koryu Kin
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK;
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37–49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pauline Schaap
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK;
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13
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Huber RJ, Kim WD, Mathavarajah S. Inhibiting Neddylation with MLN4924 Suppresses Growth and Delays Multicellular Development in Dictyostelium discoideum. Biomolecules 2021; 11:482. [PMID: 33807046 PMCID: PMC8005062 DOI: 10.3390/biom11030482] [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: 02/12/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Neddylation is a post-translational modification that is essential for a variety of cellular processes and is linked to many human diseases including cancer, neurodegeneration, and autoimmune disorders. Neddylation involves the conjugation of the ubiquitin-like modifier neural precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated protein 8 (NEDD8) to target proteins, and has been studied extensively in various eukaryotes including fungi, plants, and metazoans. Here, we examine the biological processes influenced by neddylation in the social amoeba, Dictyostelium discoideum, using a well-established inhibitor of neddylation, MLN4924 (pevonedistat). NEDD8, and the target of MLN4924 inhibition, NEDD8-activating enzyme E1 (NAE1), are highly conserved in D. discoideum (Nedd8 and Nae1, respectively). Treatment of D. discoideum cells with MLN4924 increased the amount of free Nedd8, suggesting that MLN4924 inhibited neddylation. During growth, MLN4924 suppressed cell proliferation and folic acid-mediated chemotaxis. During multicellular development, MLN4924 inhibited cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-mediated chemotaxis, delayed aggregation, and suppressed fruiting body formation. Together, these findings indicate that neddylation plays an important role in regulating cellular and developmental events during the D. discoideum life cycle and that this organism can be used as a model system to better understand the essential roles of neddylation in eukaryotes, and consequently, its involvement in human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. Huber
- Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - William D. Kim
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada;
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14
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Narita TB, Kawabe Y, Kin K, Gibbs RA, Kuspa A, Muzny DM, Richards S, Strassmann JE, Sucgang R, Worley KC, Schaap P. Loss of the Polyketide Synthase StlB Results in Stalk Cell Overproduction in Polysphondylium violaceum. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 12:674-683. [PMID: 32386295 PMCID: PMC7259674 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Major phenotypic innovations in social amoeba evolution occurred at the transition between the Polysphondylia and group 4 Dictyostelia, which comprise the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum, such as the formation of a new structure, the basal disk. Basal disk differentiation and robust stalk formation require the morphogen DIF-1, synthesized by the polyketide synthase StlB, the des-methyl-DIF-1 methyltransferase DmtA, and the chlorinase ChlA, which are conserved throughout Dictyostelia. To understand how the basal disk and other innovations evolved in group 4, we sequenced and annotated the Polysphondylium violaceum (Pvio) genome, performed cell type-specific transcriptomics to identify cell-type marker genes, and developed transformation and gene knock-out procedures for Pvio. We used the novel methods to delete the Pvio stlB gene. The Pvio stlB- mutants formed misshapen curly sorogens with thick and irregular stalks. As fruiting body formation continued, the upper stalks became more regular, but structures contained 40% less spores. The stlB- sorogens overexpressed a stalk gene and underexpressed a (pre)spore gene. Normal fruiting body formation and sporulation were restored in Pvio stlB- by including DIF-1 in the supporting agar. These data indicate that, although conserved, stlB and its product(s) acquired both a novel role in the group 4 Dictyostelia and a role opposite to that in its sister group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takaaki B Narita
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, United Kingdom,Department of Life Science, Faculty of Advanced Engineering, Chiba Institute of Technology, Chiba, Japan
| | | | - Koryu Kin
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Richard A Gibbs
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Adam Kuspa
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas,Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas,The Welch Foundation, Houston, TX
| | - Donna M Muzny
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Stephen Richards
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas,Genome Sequencing Center, University of California Davis, Davis, CA
| | | | - Richard Sucgang
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas,Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Kim C Worley
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Pauline Schaap
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, United Kingdom,Corresponding author: E-mail:
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15
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Forbes G, Chen ZH, Kin K, Lawal HM, Schilde C, Yamada Y, Schaap P. Phylogeny-wide conservation and change in developmental expression, cell-type specificity and functional domains of the transcriptional regulators of social amoebas. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:890. [PMID: 31752673 PMCID: PMC6873476 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6239-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Dictyostelid social amoebas self-organize into fruiting bodies, consisting of spores and up to four supporting cell types in the phenotypically most complex taxon group 4. High quality genomes and stage- and cell-type specific transcriptomes are available for representative species of each of the four taxon groups. To understand how evolution of gene regulation in Dictyostelia contributed to evolution of phenotypic complexity, we analysed conservation and change in abundance, functional domain architecture and developmental regulation of their transcription factors (TFs). Results We detected 440 sequence-specific TFs across 33 families, of which 68% were upregulated in multicellular development and about half conserved throughout Dictyostelia. Prespore cells expressed two times more TFs than prestalk cells, but stalk cells expressed more TFs than spores, suggesting that gene expression events that define spores occur earlier than those that define stalk cells. Changes in TF developmental expression, but not in TF abundance or functional domains occurred more frequently between group 4 and groups 1–3, than between the more distant branches formed by groups 1 + 2 and 3 + 4. Conclusions Phenotypic innovation is correlated with changes in TF regulation, rather than functional domain- or TF acquisition. The function of only 34 TFs is known. Of 12 TFs essential for cell differentiation, 9 are expressed in the cell type for which they are required. The information acquired here on conserved cell type specifity of 120 additional TFs can effectively guide further functional analysis, while observed evolutionary change in TF developmental expression may highlight how genotypic change caused phenotypic innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gillian Forbes
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD15EH, Dundee, UK
| | - Zhi-Hui Chen
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD15EH, Dundee, UK
| | - Koryu Kin
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD15EH, Dundee, UK
| | - Hajara M Lawal
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD15EH, Dundee, UK
| | | | - Yoko Yamada
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD15EH, Dundee, UK
| | - Pauline Schaap
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, DD15EH, Dundee, UK.
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16
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Hehmeyer J. Two potential evolutionary origins of the fruiting bodies of the dictyostelid slime moulds. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:1591-1604. [PMID: 30989827 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2019] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Dictyostelium discoideum and the other dictyostelid slime moulds ('social amoebae') are popular model organisms best known for their demonstration of sorocarpic development. In this process, many cells aggregate to form a multicellular unit that ultimately becomes a fruiting body bearing asexual spores. Several other unrelated microorganisms undergo comparable processes, and in some it is evident that their multicellular development evolved from the differentiation process of encystation. While it has been argued that the dictyostelid fruiting body had similar origins, it has also been proposed that dictyostelid sorocarpy evolved from the unicellular fruiting process found in other amoebozoan slime moulds. This paper reviews the developmental biology of the dictyostelids and other relevant organisms and reassesses the two hypotheses on the evolutionary origins of dictyostelid development. Recent advances in phylogeny, genetics, and genomics and transcriptomics indicate that further research is necessary to determine whether or not the fruiting bodies of the dictyostelids and their closest relatives, the myxomycetes and protosporangids, are homologous.
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