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Peysson A, Zariohi N, Gendrel M, Chambert-Loir A, Frébault N, Cheynet E, Andrini O, Boulin T. Wnt-Ror-Dvl signalling and the dystrophin complex organize planar-polarized membrane compartments in C. elegans muscles. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4935. [PMID: 38858388 PMCID: PMC11164867 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49154-8] [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: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Cell polarity mechanisms allow the formation of specialized membrane domains with unique protein compositions, signalling properties, and functional characteristics. By analyzing the localization of potassium channels and proteins belonging to the dystrophin-associated protein complex, we reveal the existence of distinct planar-polarized membrane compartments at the surface of C. elegans muscle cells. We find that muscle polarity is controlled by a non-canonical Wnt signalling cascade involving the ligand EGL-20/Wnt, the receptor CAM-1/Ror, and the intracellular effector DSH-1/Dishevelled. Interestingly, classical planar cell polarity proteins are not required for this process. Using time-resolved protein degradation, we demonstrate that -while it is essentially in place by the end of embryogenesis- muscle polarity is a dynamic state, requiring continued presence of DSH-1 throughout post-embryonic life. Our results reveal the unsuspected complexity of the C. elegans muscle membrane and establish a genetically tractable model system to study cellular polarity and membrane compartmentalization in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Peysson
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR 5284, INSERM U1314, MeLiS, Lyon, 69008, France
| | - Noura Zariohi
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR 5284, INSERM U1314, MeLiS, Lyon, 69008, France
| | - Marie Gendrel
- Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Amandine Chambert-Loir
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR 5284, INSERM U1314, MeLiS, Lyon, 69008, France
| | - Noémie Frébault
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR 5284, INSERM U1314, MeLiS, Lyon, 69008, France
| | - Elise Cheynet
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR 5284, INSERM U1314, MeLiS, Lyon, 69008, France
| | - Olga Andrini
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR 5284, INSERM U1314, MeLiS, Lyon, 69008, France
| | - Thomas Boulin
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR 5284, INSERM U1314, MeLiS, Lyon, 69008, France.
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2
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Wilkie IC. Basement Membranes, Brittlestar Tendons, and Their Mechanical Adaptability. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:375. [PMID: 38927255 PMCID: PMC11200632 DOI: 10.3390/biology13060375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Basement membranes (BMs) are thin layers of extracellular matrix that separate epithelia, endothelia, muscle cells, and nerve cells from adjacent interstitial connective tissue. BMs are ubiquitous in almost all multicellular animals, and their composition is highly conserved across the Metazoa. There is increasing interest in the mechanical functioning of BMs, including the involvement of altered BM stiffness in development and pathology, particularly cancer metastasis, which can be facilitated by BM destabilization. Such BM weakening has been assumed to occur primarily through enzymatic degradation by matrix metalloproteinases. However, emerging evidence indicates that non-enzymatic mechanisms may also contribute. In brittlestars (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea), the tendons linking the musculature to the endoskeleton consist of extensions of muscle cell BMs. During the process of brittlestar autotomy, in which arms are detached for the purpose of self-defense, muscles break away from the endoskeleton as a consequence of the rapid destabilization and rupture of their BM-derived tendons. This contribution provides a broad overview of current knowledge of the structural organization and biomechanics of non-echinoderm BMs, compares this with the equivalent information on brittlestar tendons, and discusses the possible relationship between the weakening phenomena exhibited by BMs and brittlestar tendons, and the potential translational value of the latter as a model system of BM destabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iain C Wilkie
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
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3
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Jahncke JN, Wright KM. The many roles of dystroglycan in nervous system development and function: Dystroglycan and neural circuit development: Dystroglycan and neural circuit development. Dev Dyn 2023; 252:61-80. [PMID: 35770940 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The glycoprotein dystroglycan was first identified in muscle, where it functions as part of the dystrophin glycoprotein complex to connect the extracellular matrix to the actin cytoskeleton. Mutations in genes involved in the glycosylation of dystroglycan cause a form of congenital muscular dystrophy termed dystroglycanopathy. In addition to its well-defined role in regulating muscle integrity, dystroglycan is essential for proper central and peripheral nervous system development. Patients with dystroglycanopathy can present with a wide range of neurological perturbations, but unraveling the complex role of Dag1 in the nervous system has proven to be a challenge. Over the past two decades, animal models of dystroglycanopathy have been an invaluable resource that has allowed researchers to elucidate dystroglycan's many roles in neural circuit development. In this review, we summarize the pathways involved in dystroglycan's glycosylation and its known interacting proteins, and discuss how it regulates neuronal migration, axon guidance, synapse formation, and its role in non-neuronal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer N Jahncke
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Oregan Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Kevin M Wright
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
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4
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Godini R, Fallahi H, Pocock R. The regulatory landscape of neurite development in Caenorhabditis elegans. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:974208. [PMID: 36090252 PMCID: PMC9453034 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.974208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal communication requires precise connectivity of neurite projections (axons and dendrites). Developing neurites express cell-surface receptors that interpret extracellular cues to enable correct guidance toward, and connection with, target cells. Spatiotemporal regulation of neurite guidance molecule expression by transcription factors (TFs) is critical for nervous system development and function. Here, we review how neurite development is regulated by TFs in the Caenorhabditis elegans nervous system. By collecting publicly available transcriptome and ChIP-sequencing data, we reveal gene expression dynamics during neurite development, providing insight into transcriptional mechanisms governing construction of the nervous system architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rasoul Godini
- Development and Stem Cells Program, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- *Correspondence: Rasoul Godini,
| | - Hossein Fallahi
- Department of Biology, School of Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Roger Pocock
- Development and Stem Cells Program, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Roger Pocock,
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5
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Bigotti MG, Brancaccio A. High degree of conservation of the enzymes synthesizing the laminin-binding glycoepitope of α-dystroglycan. Open Biol 2021; 11:210104. [PMID: 34582712 PMCID: PMC8478517 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.210104] [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] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The dystroglycan (DG) complex plays a pivotal role for the stabilization of muscles in Metazoa. It is formed by two subunits, extracellular α-DG and transmembrane β-DG, originating from a unique precursor via a complex post-translational maturation process. The α-DG subunit is extensively glycosylated in sequential steps by several specific enzymes and employs such glycan scaffold to tightly bind basement membrane molecules. Mutations of several of these enzymes cause an alteration of the carbohydrate structure of α-DG, resulting in severe neuromuscular disorders collectively named dystroglycanopathies. Given the fundamental role played by DG in muscle stability, it is biochemically and clinically relevant to investigate these post-translational modifying enzymes from an evolutionary perspective. A first phylogenetic history of the thirteen enzymes involved in the fabrication of the so-called 'M3 core' laminin-binding epitope has been traced by an overall sequence comparison approach, and interesting details on the primordial enzyme set have emerged, as well as substantial conservation in Metazoa. The optimization along with the evolution of a well-conserved enzymatic set responsible for the glycosylation of α-DG indicate the importance of the glycosylation shell in modulating the connection between sarcolemma and surrounding basement membranes to increase skeletal muscle stability, and eventually support movement and locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Giulia Bigotti
- School of Translational Health Sciences, Research Floor Level 7, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol BS2 8HW, UK,School of Biochemistry, University Walk, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Andrea Brancaccio
- School of Biochemistry, University Walk, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK,Institute of Chemical Sciences and Technologies ‘Giulio Natta’ (SCITEC) - CNR, Largo F.Vito 1, 00168, Rome, Italy
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6
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Hrach HC, O'Brien S, Steber HS, Newbern J, Rawls A, Mangone M. Transcriptome changes during the initiation and progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Caenorhabditis elegans. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 29:1607-1623. [PMID: 32227114 PMCID: PMC7322572 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddaa055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal, X-linked disease characterized by progressive muscle degeneration. The condition is driven by nonsense and missense mutations in the dystrophin gene, leading to instability of the sarcolemma and skeletal muscle necrosis and atrophy. Resulting changes in muscle-specific gene expression that take place in dystrophin's absence remain largely uncharacterized, as they are potentially obscured by the chronic inflammation elicited by muscle damage in humans. Caenorhabditis elegans possess a mild inflammatory response that is not active in the muscle, and lack a satellite cell equivalent. This allows for the characterization of the transcriptome rearrangements affecting disease progression independently of inflammation and regeneration. In effort to better understand these dynamics, we have isolated and sequenced body muscle-specific transcriptomes from C. elegans lacking functional dystrophin at distinct stages of disease progression. We have identified an upregulation of genes involved in mitochondrial function early in disease progression, and an upregulation of genes related to muscle repair in later stages. Our results suggest that in C. elegans, dystrophin may have a signaling role early in development, and its absence may activate compensatory mechanisms that counteract muscle degradation caused by loss of dystrophin. We have also developed a temperature-based screening method for synthetic paralysis that can be used to rapidly identify genetic partners of dystrophin. Our results allow for the comprehensive identification of transcriptome changes that potentially serve as independent drivers of disease progression and may in turn allow for the identification of new therapeutic targets for the treatment of DMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather C Hrach
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, School of Life Sciences, 427 East Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287 4501, USA.,Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, 1001 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Shannon O'Brien
- Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, 1001 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA.,Barrett Honors College, Arizona State University, 751 E Lemon Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Hannah S Steber
- Barrett Honors College, Arizona State University, 751 E Lemon Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Jason Newbern
- School of Life Sciences, 427 East Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287 4501, USA
| | - Alan Rawls
- School of Life Sciences, 427 East Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287 4501, USA
| | - Marco Mangone
- Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, 1001 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
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7
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Ellwood RA, Piasecki M, Szewczyk NJ. Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22094891. [PMID: 34063069 PMCID: PMC8125261 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans has been used extensively to enhance our understanding of the human neuromuscular disorder Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). With new arising clinically relevant models, technologies and treatments, there is a need to reconcile the literature and collate the key findings associated with this model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A. Ellwood
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Versus Arthritis, Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Royal Derby Hospital, University of Nottingham, Derby DE22 3DT, UK; (R.A.E.); (M.P.)
- National Institute for Health Research, Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Derby DE22 3DT, UK
| | - Mathew Piasecki
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Versus Arthritis, Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Royal Derby Hospital, University of Nottingham, Derby DE22 3DT, UK; (R.A.E.); (M.P.)
- National Institute for Health Research, Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Derby DE22 3DT, UK
| | - Nathaniel J. Szewczyk
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Versus Arthritis, Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Royal Derby Hospital, University of Nottingham, Derby DE22 3DT, UK; (R.A.E.); (M.P.)
- National Institute for Health Research, Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Derby DE22 3DT, UK
- Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurologic Institute, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
- Correspondence:
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8
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Kubota Y, Ohnishi Y, Hamasaki T, Yasui G, Ota N, Kitagawa H, Esaki A, Fahmi M, Ito M. Overlapping and non-overlapping roles of the class-I histone deacetylase-1 corepressors LET-418, SIN-3, and SPR-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans embryonic development. Genes Genomics 2021; 43:553-565. [PMID: 33740234 PMCID: PMC8110489 DOI: 10.1007/s13258-021-01076-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Histone deacetylase (HDAC)-1, a Class-I HDAC family member, forms three types of complexes, the nucleosome remodeling deacetylase, Sin3, and CoREST complexes with the specific corepressor components chromodomain-helicase-DNA-binding protein 3 (Mi2/CHD-3), Sin3, and REST corepressor 1 (RCOR1), respectively, in humans. OBJECTIVE To elucidate the functional relationships among the three transcriptional corepressors during embryogenesis. METHODS The activities of HDA-1, LET-418, SIN-3, and SPR-1, the homologs of HDAC-1, Mi2, Sin3, and RCOR1 in Caenorhabditis elegans during embryogenesis were investigated through measurement of relative mRNA expression levels and embryonic lethality given either gene knockdown or deletion. Additionally, the terminal phenotypes of each knockdown and mutant embryo were observed using a differential-interference contrast microscope. Finally, the functional relationships among the three corepressors were examined through genetic interactions and transcriptome analyses. RESULTS Here, we report that each of the corepressors LET-418, SIN-3, and SPR-1 are expressed and have essential roles in C. elegans embryonic development. Our terminal phenotype observations of single mutants further implied that LET-418, SIN-3, and SPR-1 play similar roles in promoting advancement to the middle and late embryonic stages. Combined analysis of genetic interactions and gene ontology of these corepressors indicate a prominent overlapping role among SIN-3, SPR-1, and LET-418 and between SIN-3 and SPR-1. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that the class-I HDAC-1 corepressors LET-418, SIN-3, and SPR-1 may cooperatively regulate the expression levels of some genes during C. elegans embryogenesis or may have some similar roles but functioning independently within a specific cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukihiro Kubota
- Department of Bioinformatics, College of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan
| | - Yuto Ohnishi
- Advanced Life Sciences Program, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan
| | - Tasuku Hamasaki
- Advanced Life Sciences Program, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan
| | - Gen Yasui
- Advanced Life Sciences Program, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan
| | - Natsumi Ota
- Advanced Life Sciences Program, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan
| | - Hiromu Kitagawa
- Advanced Life Sciences Program, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan
| | - Arashi Esaki
- Advanced Life Sciences Program, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan
| | - Muhamad Fahmi
- Advanced Life Sciences Program, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan
| | - Masahiro Ito
- Department of Bioinformatics, College of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan.
- Advanced Life Sciences Program, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan.
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9
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Niche Cell Wrapping Ensures Primordial Germ Cell Quiescence and Protection from Intercellular Cannibalism. Curr Biol 2020; 30:708-714.e4. [PMID: 32008902 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Niche cells often wrap membrane extensions around stem cell surfaces. Niche wrapping has been proposed to retain stem cells in defined positions and affect signaling [e.g., 1, 2]. To test these hypotheses and uncover additional functions of wrapping, we investigated niche wrapping of primordial germ cells (PGCs) in the C. elegans embryonic gonad primordium. The gonad primordium contains two PGCs that are wrapped individually by two somatic gonad precursor cells (SGPs). SGPs are known to promote PGC survival during embryogenesis and exit from quiescence after hatching, although how they do so is unknown [3]. Here, we identify two distinct functions of SGP wrapping that are critical for PGC quiescence and survival. First, niche cell wrapping templates a laminin-based basement membrane around the gonad primordium. Laminin and the basement membrane receptor dystroglycan function to maintain niche cell wrapping, which is critical for normal gonad development. We find that laminin also preserves PGC quiescence during embryogenesis. Exit from quiescence following laminin depletion requires glp-1/Notch and is accompanied by inappropriate activation of the GLP-1 target sygl-1 in PGCs. Independent of basement membrane, SGP wrapping performs a second, crucial function to ensure PGC survival. Endodermal cells normally engulf and degrade large lobes extended by the PGCs [4]. When SGPs are absent, we show that endodermal cells can inappropriately engulf and cannibalize the PGC cell body. Our findings demonstrate how niche cell wrapping protects germ cells by manipulating their signaling environment and by shielding germ cells from unwanted cellular interactions that can compromise their survival.
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10
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Jayadev R, Chi Q, Keeley DP, Hastie EL, Kelley LC, Sherwood DR. α-Integrins dictate distinct modes of type IV collagen recruitment to basement membranes. J Cell Biol 2019; 218:3098-3116. [PMID: 31387941 PMCID: PMC6719451 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201903124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 06/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Basement membranes (BMs) are cell-associated extracellular matrices that support tissue integrity, signaling, and barrier properties. Type IV collagen is critical for BM function, yet how it is directed into BMs in vivo is unclear. Through live-cell imaging of endogenous localization, conditional knockdown, and misexpression experiments, we uncovered distinct mechanisms of integrin-mediated collagen recruitment to Caenorhabditis elegans postembryonic gonadal and pharyngeal BMs. The putative laminin-binding αINA-1/βPAT-3 integrin was selectively activated in the gonad and recruited laminin, which directed moderate collagen incorporation. In contrast, the putative Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-binding αPAT-2/βPAT-3 integrin was activated in the pharynx and recruited high levels of collagen in an apparently laminin-independent manner. Through an RNAi screen, we further identified the small GTPase RAP-3 (Rap1) as a pharyngeal-specific PAT-2/PAT-3 activator that modulates collagen levels. Together, these studies demonstrate that tissues can use distinct mechanisms to direct collagen incorporation into BMs to precisely control collagen levels and construct diverse BMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranjay Jayadev
- Department of Biology, Regeneration Next, Duke University, Durham, NC
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Qiuyi Chi
- Department of Biology, Regeneration Next, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Daniel P Keeley
- Department of Biology, Regeneration Next, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Eric L Hastie
- Department of Biology, Regeneration Next, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Laura C Kelley
- Department of Biology, Regeneration Next, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - David R Sherwood
- Department of Biology, Regeneration Next, Duke University, Durham, NC
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC
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11
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Mathies LD, Ray S, Lopez-Alvillar K, Arbeitman MN, Davies AG, Bettinger JC. mRNA profiling reveals significant transcriptional differences between a multipotent progenitor and its differentiated sister. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:427. [PMID: 31138122 PMCID: PMC6540470 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5821-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [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: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The two Caenorhabditis elegans somatic gonadal precursors (SGPs) are multipotent progenitors that generate all somatic tissues of the adult reproductive system. The sister cells of the SGPs are two head mesodermal cells (hmcs); one hmc dies by programmed cell death and the other terminally differentiates. Thus, a single cell division gives rise to one multipotent progenitor and one differentiated cell with identical lineage histories. We compared the transcriptomes of SGPs and hmcs in order to learn the determinants of multipotency and differentiation in this lineage. RESULTS We generated a strain that expressed fluorescent markers specifically in SGPs (ehn-3A::tdTomato) and hmcs (bgal-1::GFP). We dissociated cells from animals after the SGP/hmc cell division, but before the SGPs had further divided, and subjected the dissociated cells to fluorescence-activated cell sorting to collect isolated SGPs and hmcs. We analyzed the transcriptomes of these cells and found that 5912 transcripts were significantly differentially expressed, with at least two-fold change in expression, between the two cell types. The hmc-biased genes were enriched with those that are characteristic of neurons. The SGP-biased genes were enriched with those indicative of cell proliferation and development. We assessed the validity of our differentially expressed genes by examining existing reporters for five of the 10 genes with the most significantly biased expression in SGPs and found that two showed expression in SGPs. For one reporter that did not show expression in SGPs, we generated a GFP knock-in using CRISPR/Cas9. This reporter, in the native genomic context, was expressed in SGPs. CONCLUSIONS We found that the transcriptional profiles of SGPs and hmcs are strikingly different. The hmc-biased genes are enriched with those that encode synaptic transmission machinery, which strongly suggests that it has neuron-like signaling properties. In contrast, the SGP-biased genes are enriched with genes that encode factors involved in transcription and translation, as would be expected from a cell preparing to undergo proliferative divisions. Mediators of multipotency are likely to be among the genes differentially expressed in SGPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura D. Mathies
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, PO Box 980613, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
| | - Surjyendu Ray
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 USA
| | - Kayla Lopez-Alvillar
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, PO Box 980613, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
| | - Michelle N. Arbeitman
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 USA
| | - Andrew G. Davies
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, PO Box 980613, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
| | - Jill C. Bettinger
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, PO Box 980613, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
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12
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Brancaccio A. A molecular overview of the primary dystroglycanopathies. J Cell Mol Med 2019; 23:3058-3062. [PMID: 30838779 PMCID: PMC6484290 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.14218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Dystroglycan is a major non-integrin adhesion complex that connects the cytoskeleton to the surrounding basement membranes, thus providing stability to skeletal muscle. In Vertebrates, hypoglycosylation of α-dystroglycan has been strongly linked to muscular dystrophy phenotypes, some of which also show variable degrees of cognitive impairments, collectively termed dystroglycanopathies. Only a small number of mutations in the dystroglycan gene, leading to the so called primary dystroglycanopathies, has been described so far, as opposed to the ever-growing number of identified secondary or tertiary dystroglycanopathies (caused by genetic abnormalities in glycosyltransferases or in enzymes involved in the synthesis of the carbohydrate building blocks). The few mutations found within the autonomous N-terminal domain of α-dystroglycan seem to destabilise it to different degrees, without influencing the overall folding and targeting of the dystroglycan complex. On the contrary other mutations, some located at the α/β interface of the dystroglycan complex, seem to be able to interfere with its maturation, thus compromising its stability and eventually leading to the intracellular engulfment and/or partial or even total degradation of the dystroglycan uncleaved precursor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Brancaccio
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.,Istituto di Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare - CNR c/o Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italy
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13
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Kelley CA, Cram EJ. Stem Cells: Muscle Cells Enwrap Escaped Germline Stem Cells in C. elegans. Curr Biol 2019; 29:R150-R152. [PMID: 30836081 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.01.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Interactions between the distal tip cell and germline stem cells maintain a proliferative pool of mitotic cells in the Caenorhabditis elegans gonad. A new study shows that escaped germline stem cells induce nearby muscle cells to reach out and wrap around them, forming an ectopic niche similar to the native gonadal germ cell niche.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erin J Cram
- Northeastern University, Department of Biology, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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14
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Gordon KL, Payne SG, Linden-High LM, Pani AM, Goldstein B, Hubbard EJA, Sherwood DR. Ectopic Germ Cells Can Induce Niche-like Enwrapment by Neighboring Body Wall Muscle. Curr Biol 2019; 29:823-833.e5. [PMID: 30799241 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.01.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Revised: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Niche cell enwrapment of stem cells and their differentiating progeny is common and provides a specialized signaling and protective environment. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying enwrapment behavior has important basic and clinical significance in not only understanding how niches are formed and maintained but also how they can be engineered and how they are misregulated in human pathologies, such as cancer. Previous work in C. elegans found that, when germ cells, which are enwrapped by somatic gonadal niche cells, are freed into the body cavity, they embed into other tissues. We investigated this phenomenon using live-cell imaging and discovered that ectopic germ cells preferentially induce body-wall muscle to extend cellular processes that enwrap the germ cells, the extent of which was strikingly similar to the distal tip cell (DTC)-germ stem cell niche. Enwrapment was specific for escaped germ cells, and genetic analysis revealed it did not depend on pathways that control cell death and engulfment or muscle arm extension. Instead, using a large-scale RNAi screen and GFP knockin strains, we discovered that the enwrapping behavior of muscle relied upon the same suite of cell-cell adhesion molecules that functioned in the endogenous niche: the C. elegans E-cadherin HMR-1, its intracellular associates α-catenin (HMP-1) and β-catenin (HMP-2), and the L1CAM protein SAX-7. This ectopic niche-like behavior resembles the seed-and-soil model of cancer metastasis and offers a new model to understand factors regulating ectopic niche formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kacy L Gordon
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Sara G Payne
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | | | - Ariel M Pani
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Bob Goldstein
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - E Jane Albert Hubbard
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Departments of Cell Biology and Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - David R Sherwood
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Regeneration Next, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
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15
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Nickolls AR, Bönnemann CG. The roles of dystroglycan in the nervous system: insights from animal models of muscular dystrophy. Dis Model Mech 2018; 11:11/12/dmm035931. [PMID: 30578246 PMCID: PMC6307911 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.035931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Dystroglycan is a cell membrane protein that binds to the extracellular matrix in a variety of mammalian tissues. The α-subunit of dystroglycan (αDG) is heavily glycosylated, including a special O-mannosyl glycoepitope, relying upon this unique glycosylation to bind its matrix ligands. A distinct group of muscular dystrophies results from specific hypoglycosylation of αDG, and they are frequently associated with central nervous system involvement, ranging from profound brain malformation to intellectual disability without evident morphological defects. There is an expanding literature addressing the function of αDG in the nervous system, with recent reports demonstrating important roles in brain development and in the maintenance of neuronal synapses. Much of these data are derived from an increasingly rich array of experimental animal models. This Review aims to synthesize the information from such diverse models, formulating an up-to-date understanding about the various functions of αDG in neurons and glia of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Where possible, we integrate these data with our knowledge of the human disorders to promote translation from basic mechanistic findings to clinical therapies that take the neural phenotypes into account. Summary: Dystroglycan is a ubiquitous matrix receptor linked to brain and muscle disease. Unraveling the functions of this protein will inform basic and translational research on neural development and muscular dystrophies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alec R Nickolls
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Carsten G Bönnemann
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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16
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Yip ZC, Heiman MG. Ordered arrangement of dendrites within a C. elegans sensory nerve bundle. eLife 2018; 7:e35825. [PMID: 30117807 PMCID: PMC6133548 DOI: 10.7554/elife.35825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological systems are organized into well-ordered structures and can evolve new patterns when perturbed. To identify principles underlying biological order, we turned to C. elegans for its simple anatomy and powerful genetics. We developed a method to quantify the arrangement of three dendrites in the main sensory nerve bundle, and found that they exhibit a stereotyped arrangement throughout larval growth. Dendrite order does not require prominent features including sensory cilia and glial junctions. In contrast, loss of the cell adhesion molecule (CAM) CDH-4/Fat-like cadherin causes dendrites to be ordered randomly, despite remaining bundled. Loss of the CAMs PTP-3/LAR or SAX-7/L1CAM causes dendrites to adopt an altered order, which becomes increasingly random as animals grow. Misexpression of SAX-7 leads to subtle but reproducible changes in dendrite order. Our results suggest that combinations of CAMs allow dendrites to self-organize into a stereotyped arrangement and can produce altered patterns when perturbed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqi Candice Yip
- Division of Genetics and GenomicsBoston Children’s HospitalBostonUnited States
- Department of GeneticsHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Maxwell G Heiman
- Division of Genetics and GenomicsBoston Children’s HospitalBostonUnited States
- Department of GeneticsHarvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
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17
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Philbrook A, Ramachandran S, Lambert CM, Oliver D, Florman J, Alkema MJ, Lemons M, Francis MM. Neurexin directs partner-specific synaptic connectivity in C. elegans. eLife 2018; 7:35692. [PMID: 30039797 PMCID: PMC6057746 DOI: 10.7554/elife.35692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
In neural circuits, individual neurons often make projections onto multiple postsynaptic partners. Here, we investigate molecular mechanisms by which these divergent connections are generated, using dyadic synapses in C. elegans as a model. We report that C. elegans nrx-1/neurexin directs divergent connectivity through differential actions at synapses with partnering neurons and muscles. We show that cholinergic outputs onto neurons are, unexpectedly, located at previously undefined spine-like protrusions from GABAergic dendrites. Both these spine-like features and cholinergic receptor clustering are strikingly disrupted in the absence of nrx-1. Excitatory transmission onto GABAergic neurons, but not neuromuscular transmission, is also disrupted. Our data indicate that NRX-1 located at presynaptic sites specifically directs postsynaptic development in GABAergic neurons. Our findings provide evidence that individual neurons can direct differential patterns of connectivity with their post-synaptic partners through partner-specific utilization of synaptic organizers, offering a novel view into molecular control of divergent connectivity. Nervous systems are complex networks of interconnected cells called neurons. These networks vary in size from a few hundred cells in worms, to tens of billions in the human brain. Within these networks, each individual neuron forms connections – called synapses – with many others. But these partner neurons are not necessarily alike. In fact, they may be different cell types. How neurons form distinct connections with different partner cells remains unclear. Part of the answer may lie in specialized proteins called cell adhesion molecules. These proteins occur on the cell surface and enable neurons to recognize one another. This helps ensure that the cells form appropriate connections via synapses. Cell adhesion molecules are therefore also known as synaptic organizers. Philbrook et al. have now examined the role of synaptic organizers in wiring up the nervous system of the nematode worm and model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Motor neurons form connections with two types of partner cell: muscle cells and neurons. Philbrook et al. screened C. elegans that have mutations in genes encoding various synaptic organizers. This revealed that a protein called neurexin must be present for motor neurons to form synapses with other neurons. By contrast, neurexin is not required for the same neurons to establish synapses with muscles. Philbrook et al. found that neuron-to-neuron synapses arise at specialized finger-like projections. These resemble the dendritic spines at which synapses form in the brains of mammals, and had not been previously identified in C. elegans. In worms that lack neurexin, these spine-like structures do not form correctly, disrupting the formation of neuron-to-neuron connections. Previous work has implicated neurexin in synapse formation in the mammalian brain. But this is the first study to reveal a role for neurexin in establishing partner-specific synaptic connections. Mutations in synaptic organizers, including neurexin, contribute to disorders of brain development. These include schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders. Learning more about how neurexin helps establish specific synaptic connections may help us understand how these disorders arise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Philbrook
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, United States
| | - Shankar Ramachandran
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, United States
| | - Christopher M Lambert
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, United States
| | - Devyn Oliver
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, United States
| | - Jeremy Florman
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, United States
| | - Mark J Alkema
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, United States
| | - Michele Lemons
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, United States.,Department of Natural Sciences, Assumption College, Worcester, United States
| | - Michael M Francis
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, United States
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18
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Cao J, Packer JS, Ramani V, Cusanovich DA, Huynh C, Daza R, Qiu X, Lee C, Furlan SN, Steemers FJ, Adey A, Waterston RH, Trapnell C, Shendure J. Comprehensive single-cell transcriptional profiling of a multicellular organism. Science 2017; 357:661-667. [PMID: 28818938 DOI: 10.1126/science.aam8940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 822] [Impact Index Per Article: 117.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Revised: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
To resolve cellular heterogeneity, we developed a combinatorial indexing strategy to profile the transcriptomes of single cells or nuclei, termed sci-RNA-seq (single-cell combinatorial indexing RNA sequencing). We applied sci-RNA-seq to profile nearly 50,000 cells from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans at the L2 larval stage, which provided >50-fold "shotgun" cellular coverage of its somatic cell composition. From these data, we defined consensus expression profiles for 27 cell types and recovered rare neuronal cell types corresponding to as few as one or two cells in the L2 worm. We integrated these profiles with whole-animal chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing data to deconvolve the cell type-specific effects of transcription factors. The data generated by sci-RNA-seq constitute a powerful resource for nematode biology and foreshadow similar atlases for other organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyue Cao
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jonathan S Packer
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Vijay Ramani
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Chau Huynh
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Riza Daza
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Xiaojie Qiu
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Choli Lee
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Scott N Furlan
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Andrew Adey
- Department of Molecular & Medical Genetics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.,Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Robert H Waterston
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Cole Trapnell
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Jay Shendure
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
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19
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Naegeli KM, Hastie E, Garde A, Wang Z, Keeley DP, Gordon KL, Pani AM, Kelley LC, Morrissey MA, Chi Q, Goldstein B, Sherwood DR. Cell Invasion In Vivo via Rapid Exocytosis of a Transient Lysosome-Derived Membrane Domain. Dev Cell 2017; 43:403-417.e10. [PMID: 29161591 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2017.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Revised: 09/19/2017] [Accepted: 10/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Invasive cells use small invadopodia to breach basement membrane (BM), a dense matrix that encases tissues. Following the breach, a large protrusion forms to clear a path for tissue entry by poorly understood mechanisms. Using RNAi screening for defects in Caenorhabditis elegans anchor cell (AC) invasion, we found that UNC-6(netrin)/UNC-40(DCC) signaling at the BM breach site directs exocytosis of lysosomes using the exocyst and SNARE SNAP-29 to form a large protrusion that invades vulval tissue. Live-cell imaging revealed that the protrusion is enriched in the matrix metalloprotease ZMP-1 and transiently expands AC volume by more than 20%, displacing surrounding BM and vulval epithelium. Photobleaching and genetic perturbations showed that the BM receptor dystroglycan forms a membrane diffusion barrier at the neck of the protrusion, which enables protrusion growth. Together these studies define a netrin-dependent pathway that builds an invasive protrusion, an isolated lysosome-derived membrane structure specialized to breach tissue barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaleb M Naegeli
- Department of Biology, Regeneration Next, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Eric Hastie
- Department of Biology, Regeneration Next, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Aastha Garde
- Department of Biology, Regeneration Next, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Zheng Wang
- Research Center for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, China; Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, China
| | - Daniel P Keeley
- Department of Biology, Regeneration Next, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Kacy L Gordon
- Department of Biology, Regeneration Next, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Ariel M Pani
- Biology Department and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Laura C Kelley
- Department of Biology, Regeneration Next, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Meghan A Morrissey
- The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Qiuyi Chi
- Department of Biology, Regeneration Next, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Bob Goldstein
- Biology Department and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - David R Sherwood
- Department of Biology, Regeneration Next, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Regeneration Next, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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20
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Cao J, Packer JS, Ramani V, Cusanovich DA, Huynh C, Daza R, Qiu X, Lee C, Furlan SN, Steemers FJ, Adey A, Waterston RH, Trapnell C, Shendure J. Comprehensive single-cell transcriptional profiling of a multicellular organism. Science 2017. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aam8940 order by 10746--] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Junyue Cao
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jonathan S. Packer
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Vijay Ramani
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Chau Huynh
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Riza Daza
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Xiaojie Qiu
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Choli Lee
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Scott N. Furlan
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Andrew Adey
- Department of Molecular & Medical Genetics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Portland, OR, USA
| | | | - Cole Trapnell
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jay Shendure
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
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21
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McClatchey ST, Wang Z, Linden LM, Hastie EL, Wang L, Shen W, Chen A, Chi Q, Sherwood DR. Boundary cells restrict dystroglycan trafficking to control basement membrane sliding during tissue remodeling. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27661254 PMCID: PMC5061546 DOI: 10.7554/elife.17218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Epithelial cells and their underlying basement membranes (BMs) slide along each other to renew epithelia, shape organs, and enlarge BM openings. How BM sliding is controlled, however, is poorly understood. Using genetic and live cell imaging approaches during uterine-vulval attachment in C. elegans, we have discovered that the invasive uterine anchor cell activates Notch signaling in neighboring uterine cells at the boundary of the BM gap through which it invades to promote BM sliding. Through an RNAi screen, we found that Notch activation upregulates expression of ctg-1, which encodes a Sec14-GOLD protein, a member of the Sec14 phosphatidylinositol-transfer protein superfamily that is implicated in vesicle trafficking. Through photobleaching, targeted knockdown, and cell-specific rescue, our results suggest that CTG-1 restricts BM adhesion receptor DGN-1 (dystroglycan) trafficking to the cell-BM interface, which promotes BM sliding. Together, these studies reveal a new morphogenetic signaling pathway that controls BM sliding to remodel tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zheng Wang
- Center for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Union Hospital, Wuhan, China.,Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Union Hospital, Wuhan, China.,Development and Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Union Hospital, Wuhan, China
| | - Lara M Linden
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, United States
| | - Eric L Hastie
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, United States
| | - Lin Wang
- Center for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Union Hospital, Wuhan, China.,Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Wanqing Shen
- Center for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Union Hospital, Wuhan, China.,Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Alan Chen
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, United States
| | - Qiuyi Chi
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, United States
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22
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Basement Membranes in the Worm: A Dynamic Scaffolding that Instructs Cellular Behaviors and Shapes Tissues. CURRENT TOPICS IN MEMBRANES 2015; 76:337-71. [PMID: 26610919 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctm.2015.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans has all the major basement membrane proteins found in vertebrates, usually with a smaller gene family encoding each component. With its powerful forward genetics, optical clarity, simple tissue organization, and the capability to functionally tag most basement membrane components with fluorescent proteins, C. elegans has facilitated novel insights into the assembly and function of basement membranes. Although basement membranes are generally thought of as static structures, studies in C. elegans have revealed their active properties and essential functions in tissue formation and maintenance. Here, we review discoveries from C. elegans development that highlight dynamic aspects of basement membrane assembly, function, and regulation during organ growth, tissue polarity, cell migration, cell invasion, and tissue attachment. These studies have helped transform our view of basement membranes from static support structures to dynamic scaffoldings that play broad roles in regulating tissue organization and cellular behavior that are essential for development and have important implications in human diseases.
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23
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Adams JC, Brancaccio A. The evolution of the dystroglycan complex, a major mediator of muscle integrity. Biol Open 2015; 4:1163-79. [PMID: 26319583 PMCID: PMC4582122 DOI: 10.1242/bio.012468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Basement membrane (BM) extracellular matrices are crucial for the coordination of different tissue layers. A matrix adhesion receptor that is important for BM function and stability in many mammalian tissues is the dystroglycan (DG) complex. This comprises the non-covalently-associated extracellular α-DG, that interacts with laminin in the BM, and the transmembrane β-DG, that interacts principally with dystrophin to connect to the actin cytoskeleton. Mutations in dystrophin, DG, or several enzymes that glycosylate α-DG underlie severe forms of human muscular dystrophy. Nonwithstanding the pathophysiological importance of the DG complex and its fundamental interest as a non-integrin system of cell-ECM adhesion, the evolution of DG and its interacting proteins is not understood. We analysed the phylogenetic distribution of DG, its proximal binding partners and key processing enzymes in extant metazoan and relevant outgroups. We identify that DG originated after the divergence of ctenophores from porifera and eumetazoa. The C-terminal half of the DG core protein is highly-conserved, yet the N-terminal region, that includes the laminin-binding region, has undergone major lineage-specific divergences. Phylogenetic analysis based on the C-terminal IG2_MAT_NU region identified three distinct clades corresponding to deuterostomes, arthropods, and mollusks/early-diverging metazoans. Whereas the glycosyltransferases that modify α-DG are also present in choanoflagellates, the DG-binding proteins dystrophin and laminin originated at the base of the metazoa, and DG-associated sarcoglycan is restricted to cnidarians and bilaterians. These findings implicate extensive functional diversification of DG within invertebrate lineages and identify the laminin-DG-dystrophin axis as a conserved adhesion system that evolved subsequent to integrin-ECM adhesion, likely to enhance the functional complexity of cell-BM interactions in early metazoans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine C Adams
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Andrea Brancaccio
- Istituto di Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare, CNR, Istituto di Biochimica e Biochimica Clinica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, Roma 00168, Italy
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24
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Genetic Engineering of Dystroglycan in Animal Models of Muscular Dystrophy. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:635792. [PMID: 26380289 PMCID: PMC4561298 DOI: 10.1155/2015/635792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
In skeletal muscle, dystroglycan (DG) is the central component of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex (DGC), a multimeric protein complex that ensures a strong mechanical link between the extracellular matrix and the cytoskeleton. Several muscular dystrophies arise from mutations hitting most of the components of the DGC. Mutations within the DG gene (DAG1) have been recently associated with two forms of muscular dystrophy, one displaying a milder and one a more severe phenotype. This review focuses specifically on the animal (murine and others) model systems that have been developed with the aim of directly engineering DAG1 in order to study the DG function in skeletal muscle as well as in other tissues. In the last years, conditional animal models overcoming the embryonic lethality of the DG knock-out in mouse have been generated and helped clarifying the crucial role of DG in skeletal muscle, while an increasing number of studies on knock-in mice are aimed at understanding the contribution of single amino acids to the stability of DG and to the possible development of muscular dystrophy.
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25
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The dystroglycan: Nestled in an adhesome during embryonic development. Dev Biol 2015; 401:132-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2014.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2014] [Revised: 06/23/2014] [Accepted: 07/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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26
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Snodgrass CJ, Burnham-Marusich AR, Meteer JC, Berninsone PM. Conserved ion and amino acid transporters identified as phosphorylcholine-modified N-glycoproteins by metabolic labeling with propargylcholine in Caenorhabditis elegans cells. Glycobiology 2014; 25:403-11. [PMID: 25387872 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwu122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Phosphorylcholine (PC) modification of proteins by pathogens has been implicated in mediating host-pathogen interactions. Parasitic nematodes synthesize PC-modified biomolecules that can modulate the host's antibody and cytokine production to favor nematode survival, contributing to long-term infections. Only two nematode PC-modified proteins (PC-proteins) have been unequivocally identified, yet discovering the protein targets of PC modification will be paramount to understanding the role(s) that this epitope plays in nematode biology. A major hurdle in the field has been the lack of techniques for selective purification of PC-proteins. The nonparasitic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans expresses PC-modified N-linked glycans, offering an attractive model to study the biology of PC-modification. We developed a robust method to identify PC-proteins by metabolic labeling of primary embryonic C. elegans cells with propargylcholine, an alkyne-modified choline analog. Cu(I)-catalyzed cycloaddition with biotin-azide enables streptavidin purification and subsequent high-throughput LC-MS identification of propargyl-labeled proteins. All proteins identified using stringent criteria are known or predicted to be membrane or secreted proteins, consistent with the model of a Golgi-resident, putative PC-transferase. Of the 55 PC-N-glycosylation sites reported, 33 have been previously observed as N-glycosylation sites in high-throughput screens of C. elegans. Several identified PC-proteins are nematode-specific proteins, but 10 of the PC-proteins are widely conserved ion transporters and amino acid transporters, while eight are conserved proteins involved in synaptic function. This finding suggests a functional role for PC-modification beyond immunomodulation. The approach presented in this study provides a method to identify PC-proteins in C. elegans and related nematodes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - John C Meteer
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
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Kelley LC, Lohmer LL, Hagedorn EJ, Sherwood DR. Traversing the basement membrane in vivo: a diversity of strategies. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 204:291-302. [PMID: 24493586 PMCID: PMC3912525 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201311112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The basement membrane is a dense, highly cross-linked, sheet-like extracellular matrix that underlies all epithelia and endothelia in multicellular animals. During development, leukocyte trafficking, and metastatic disease, cells cross the basement membrane to disperse and enter new tissues. Based largely on in vitro studies, cells have been thought to use proteases to dissolve and traverse this formidable obstacle. Surprisingly, recent in vivo studies have uncovered a remarkably diverse range of cellular- and tissue-level strategies beyond proteolysis that cells use to navigate through the basement membrane. These fascinating and unexpected mechanisms have increased our understanding of how cells cross this matrix barrier in physiological and disease settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura C Kelley
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708
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C-terminal region of teneurin-1 co-localizes with the dystroglycan complex in adult mouse testes and regulates testicular size and testosterone production. Histochem Cell Biol 2013; 141:191-211. [PMID: 24154551 DOI: 10.1007/s00418-013-1154-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/06/2013] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Testicular size is directly proportional to fertility potential and is dependent on the integration of developmental proteins, trophic factors, and sex steroids. The teneurins are transmembrane glycoproteins that function as signaling and cell adhesion molecules in the establishment and maintenance of the somatic gonad, gametogenesis, and basement membrane. Moreover, teneurins are thought to function redundantly to the extracellular matrix protein, dystroglycan. Encoded on the last exon of the teneurin genes is a family of bioactive peptides termed the teneurin C-terminal-associated peptides (TCAPs). One of these peptides, TCAP-1, functionally interacts with β-dystroglycan to act as a neuromodulatory peptide with trophic characteristics independent from the teneurins. However, little is known about the localization and relationship between the teneurin-TCAP-1 system and the dystroglycans in the gonad. In the adult mouse testis, immunoreactive TCAP-1 was localized to spermatogonia and spermatocytes and co-localized with β-dystroglycan. However, teneurin-1 was localized to the peritubular myoid cell layer of seminiferous tubules and tubules within the epididymis, and co-localized with α-dystroglycan and α-smooth muscle actin. TCAP-1-binding sites were identified in the germ cell layers and adluminal compartment of the seminiferous tubules, and epithelial cells of the epididymis. In vivo, TCAP-1 administration to adult mice for 9 days increased testicular size, seminiferous and epididymal tubule short-diameter and elevated testosterone levels. TCAP-1-treated mice also showed increased TCAP-1 immunoreactivity in the caput and corpa epididymis. Our data provide novel evidence of TCAP-1 localization in the testes that is distinct from teneurin-1, but is integrated through an association with the dystroglycan complex.
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Johnson RP, Kramer JM. C. elegans dystroglycan coordinates responsiveness of follower axons to dorsal/ventral and anterior/posterior guidance cues. Dev Neurobiol 2012; 72:1498-515. [PMID: 22275151 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2011] [Revised: 12/16/2011] [Accepted: 01/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Neural development in metazoans is characterized by the establishment of initial process tracts by pioneer axons and the subsequent extension of follower axons along these pioneer processes. Mechanisms governing the fidelity of follower extension along pioneered routes are largely unknown. In C. elegans, formation of the right angle-shaped lumbar commissure connecting the lumbar and preanal ganglia is an example of pioneer/follower dynamics. We find that the dystroglycan ortholog DGN-1 mediates the fidelity of follower lumbar commissure axon extension along the pioneer axon route. In dgn-1 mutants, the axon of the pioneer PVQ neuron faithfully establishes the lumbar commissure, but axons of follower lumbar neurons, such as PVC, frequently bypass the lumbar commissure and extend along an oblique trajectory directly toward the preanal ganglion. In contrast, disruption of the UNC-6/netrin guidance pathway principally perturbs PVQ ventral guidance to pioneer the lumbar commissure. Loss of DGN-1 in unc-6 mutants has a quantitatively similar effect on follower axon guidance regardless of PVQ axon route, indicating that DGN-1 does not mediate follower/pioneer adhesion. Instead, DGN-1 appears to block premature responsiveness of follower axons to a preanal ganglion-directed guidance cue, which mediates ventral-to-anterior reorientation of lumbar commissure axons. Deletion analysis shows that only the most N-terminal DGN-1 domain is required for these activities. These studies suggest that dystroglycan modulation of growth cone responsiveness to conflicting guidance cues is important for restricting follower axon extension to the tracts laid down by pioneers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert P Johnson
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA
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Wong MC, Schwarzbauer JE. Gonad morphogenesis and distal tip cell migration in the Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2012; 1:519-31. [PMID: 23559979 PMCID: PMC3614366 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.45] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cell migration and morphogenesis are key events in tissue development and organogenesis. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the migratory path of the distal tip cells determines the morphology of the hermaphroditic gonad. The distal tip cells undergo a series of migratory phases interspersed with turns to form the gonad. A wide variety of genes have been identified as crucial to this process, from genes that encode components and modifiers of the extracellular matrix to signaling proteins and transcriptional regulators. The connections between extracellular and transmembrane protein functions and intracellular pathways are essential for distal tip cell migration, and the integration of this information governs gonad morphogenesis and determines gonad size and shape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Ching Wong
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
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Chisholm AD, Xu S. The Caenorhabditis elegans epidermis as a model skin. II: differentiation and physiological roles. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2012; 1:879-902. [PMID: 23539358 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.77] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The Caenorhabditis elegans epidermis forms one of the principal barrier epithelia of the animal. Differentiation of the epidermis begins in mid embryogenesis and involves apical-basal polarization of the cytoskeletal and secretory systems as well as cellular junction formation. Secretion of the external cuticle layers is one of the major developmental and physiological specializations of the epidermal epithelium. The four post-embryonic larval stages are separated by periodic moults, in which the epidermis generates a new cuticle with stage-specific characteristics. The differentiated epidermis also plays key roles in endocrine signaling, fat storage, and ionic homeostasis. The epidermis is intimately associated with the development and function of the nervous system, and may have glial-like roles in modulating neuronal function. The epidermis provides passive and active defenses against skin-penetrating pathogens and can repair small wounds. Finally, age-dependent deterioration of the epidermis is a prominent feature of aging and may affect organismal aging and lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Chisholm
- Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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Jensen LT, Møller TH, Larsen SA, Jakobsen H, Olsen A. A new role for laminins as modulators of protein toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Aging Cell 2012; 11:82-92. [PMID: 22051349 DOI: 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2011.00767.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein misfolding is a common theme in aging and several age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The processes involved in the development of these diseases are many and complex. Here, we show that components of the basement membrane (BM), particularly laminin, affect protein integrity of the muscle cells they support. We knocked down gene expression of epi-1, a laminin α-chain, and found that this resulted in increased proteotoxicity in different Caenorhabditis elegans transgenic models, expressing aggregating proteins in the body wall muscle. The effect could partially be rescued by decreased insulin-like signaling, known to slow the aging process and the onset of various age-related diseases. Our data points to an underlying molecular mechanism involving proteasomal degradation and HSP-16 chaperone activity. Furthermore, epi-1-depleted animals had altered synaptic function and displayed hypersensitivity to both levamisole and aldicarb, an acetylcholine receptor agonist and an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, respectively. Our results implicate the BM as an extracellular modulator of protein homeostasis in the adjacent muscle cells. This is in agreement with previous research showing that imbalance in neuromuscular signaling disturbs protein homeostasis in the postsynaptic cell. In our study, proteotoxicity may indeed be mediated by the neuromuscular junction which is part of the BM, where laminins are present in high concentration, ensuring the proper microenvironment for neuromuscular signaling. Laminins are evolutionarily conserved, and thus the BM may play a much more causal role in protein misfolding diseases than currently recognized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise T Jensen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
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Neural maintenance roles for the matrix receptor dystroglycan and the nuclear anchorage complex in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2012; 190:1365-77. [PMID: 22298703 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.111.136184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies in Caenorhabditis elegans have revealed specific neural maintenance mechanisms that protect soma and neurites against mispositioning due to displacement stresses, such as muscle contraction. We report that C. elegans dystroglycan (DG) DGN-1 functions to maintain the position of lumbar neurons during late embryonic and larval development. In the absence of DGN-1 the cell bodies of multiple lumbar neuron classes are frequently displaced anterior of their normal positions. Early but not later embryonic panneural expression of DGN-1 rescues positional maintenance, suggesting that dystroglycan is required for establishment of a critical maintenance pathway that persists throughout later developmental stages. Lumbar neural maintenance requires only a membrane-tethered N-terminal domain of DGN-1 and may involve a novel extracellular partner for dystroglycan. A genetic screen for similar lumbar maintenance mutants revealed a role for the nesprin/SYNE family protein ANC-1 as well as for the extracellular protein DIG-1, previously implicated in lumbar neuron maintenance. The involvement of ANC-1 reveals a previously unknown role for nucleus-cytoskeleton interactions in neural maintenance. Genetic analysis indicates that lumbar neuron position is maintained in late embryos by parallel DGN-1/DIG-1 and ANC-1-dependent pathways, and in larvae by separate DGN-1 and ANC-1 pathways. The effect of muscle paralysis on late embryonic- or larval-stage maintenance defects in mutants indicates that lumbar neurons are subject to both muscle contraction-dependent and contraction-independent displacement stresses, and that different maintenance pathways may protect against specific types of displacement stress.
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Viveiros R, Hutter H, Moerman DG. Membrane extensions are associated with proper anterior migration of muscle cells during Caenorhabditis elegans embryogenesis. Dev Biol 2011; 358:189-200. [PMID: 21820426 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2011.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2011] [Accepted: 07/17/2011] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
C. elegans body wall muscle is formed after a series of well-orchestrated steps. With the onset of specification embryonic muscle cells accumulate under the hypodermal seam cells at the left and right sides of the embryo. Shortly thereafter they begin to migrate dorsally and ventrally resting beneath the dorsal and ventral hypodermis eventually forming the four muscle quadrants present upon hatching. In this study we describe the plasma membrane dynamics of these migrating cells and observe the extension of filopodia and lamellipodia during dorso-ventral migration but not during the earlier stages of accumulation. We also describe an anterior migration event during embryonic muscle morphogenesis, whereby the anterior-most pair of cells in each of the four muscle quadrants extends long processes to the anterior tip of the developing embryo. Anteriormost muscle cells then follow these extensions into their final positions in the developing embryo. Using RNAi and mutant analysis, we have identified laminin as being involved in mediating the dorsal-ventral muscle migrations. Finally we show that the α-integrin INA-1, the ephrin VAB-2 and its receptor VAB-1 and the Robo receptor SAX-3 indirectly promote the proper extension of the ventral anterior muscle processes by organizing the embryonic neurons so as to provide a clear path for muscle membrane extension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Viveiros
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Abstract
Epithelial tissues are a key metazoan cell type, providing a basic structural unit for the construction of diverse animal body plans. Historically, an epithelial grade of organization was considered to be restricted to the Eumetazoa, with the majority of cell layers described for Porifera lacking any of the conserved ultrastructural characteristics of epithelia. Now with the use of genomic information from the demosponge, Amphimedon queenslandica, we identify orthologs of bilaterian genes that determine epithelial cell polarity or encode components of specialized epithelial junctions and extracellular matrix structures. Amphimedon possesses orthologs of most bilaterian epithelial polarity and adherens junction genes but few or no tight junction, septate junction, or basal lamina genes. To place this information in an evolutionary context, we extended these analyses to the completed genomes of various fungi, the choanoflagellate, Monosiga brevicollis, the placozoan, Trichoplax adhaerens, and the cnidarian, Nematostella vectensis. The results indicate that the majority of "epithelial" genes originated in metazoan or eumetazoan lineages, with only two genes, Par-1 and Discs large, antedating the choanoflagellate-metazoan split. We further explored the mechanism of evolution for each of these genes by tracking the origin of constituent domains and domain combinations. In general, domain configurations found in contemporary bilaterians are inferred to have evolved early in metazoan evolution and are identical or similar to those present in representatives of modern cnidarians, placozoans, and demosponges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryony Fahey
- The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
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Jarad G, Pippin JW, Shankland SJ, Kreidberg JA, Miner JH. Dystroglycan does not contribute significantly to kidney development or function, in health or after injury. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 2011; 300:F811-20. [PMID: 21209007 DOI: 10.1152/ajprenal.00725.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Dystroglycan (DG or DAG1) is considered a critical link between the basement membrane and the cytoskeleton in multiple tissues. DG consists of two subunits, an extracellular α-subunit that binds laminin and other basement membrane components, and a transmembrane β-subunit. DG-null mouse embryos die during early embryogenesis because DG is required for Reichert's membrane formation. DG also forms an integral part of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex in muscle. Although no human DG mutations have been reported, multiple forms of muscular dystrophy have been linked to DG glycosylation defects, and targeted deletion of muscle DG causes muscular dystrophy in mice. Moreover, DG is widely distributed in endothelial and epithelial cells, including those in the kidney. There has therefore been significant interest in DG's role in the kidney, especially in podocytes. Previous reports suggested that DG's disturbance in podocytes might cause glomerular filtration barrier abnormalities. To fully understand DG's contribution to nephrogenesis and kidney function, we used a conditional DG allele and a variety of Cre mice to systematically delete DG from podocytes, ureteric bud, metanephric mesenchyme, and then from the whole kidney. Surprisingly, none of these conditional deletions resulted in significant morphological or functional abnormalities in the kidney. Furthermore, DG-deficient podocytes did not show increased susceptibility to injury, and DG-deficient kidneys did not show delayed recovery. Integrins are therefore likely the primary extracellular matrix receptors in renal epithelia.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Jarad
- Renal Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Abstract
Hemidesmosomes are evolutionarily conserved attachment complexes linked to intermediate filaments that connect epithelial cells to the extracellular matrix. They provide tissue integrity and resistance to mechanical forces. Alterations in hemidesmosome structures are responsible for skin blistering, carcinoma invasion, and wound-healing defects. Valuable information about hemidesmosome assembly and disassembly has been obtained from in vitro cell culture studies. However, how these processes take place in vivo still remains elusive. Here, we discuss recent data about the formation and reorganization of hemidesmosomes in several in vivo model systems, particularly zebrafish and Caenorhabditis elegans, focusing on various factors affecting their dynamics. Mechanisms found in different organisms reveal that hemidesmosome formation and maintenance in vivo are carefully controlled by ECM protein folding, ECM-receptor expression and trafficking, and by post-translational modification of hemidesmosome components. These findings validate and extend the in vitro studies, and shed light on our understanding about hemidesmosomes across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimin Zhang
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, IGBMC, CNRS/ NSERM/ULP, Illkirch, France.
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Esser AK, Cohen MB, Henry MD. Dystroglycan is not required for maintenance of the luminal epithelial basement membrane or cell polarity in the mouse prostate. Prostate 2010; 70:777-87. [PMID: 20054819 PMCID: PMC2857647 DOI: 10.1002/pros.21110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dystroglycan is a cell-surface receptor for extracellular matrix proteins including laminins and perlecan. Prior studies have shown its involvement in assembly and/or maintenance of basement membrane structures, cell polarity and tissue morphogenesis; and its expression is often reduced in prostate and other cancers. However, the role of dystroglycan in normal epithelial tissues such as the prostate is unclear. METHODS To investigate this, we disrupted dystroglycan expression in the prostate via a conditional gene targeting strategy utilizing Cre recombinase expressed in luminal prostate epithelial cells. RESULTS Contrary to expectations, deletion of dystroglycan in luminal epithelial cells resulted in no discernable phenotype as judged by histology, basement membrane ultrastructure, localization of dystroglycan ligands, cell polarity or regenerative capacity of the prostate following castration. Dystroglycan expression remains in keratin-5-positive basal cells located in the proximal ducts where dystroglycan expression is elevated in regenerating prostates. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that dystroglycan in luminal epithelial cells is not required for the maintenance of basement membranes, cell polarity or prostate regeneration. However, it is possible that persistent dystroglycan expression in the basal cell compartment may support these or other functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison K. Esser
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Michael B. Cohen
- Department of Pathology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Michael D. Henry
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
- Department of Pathology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
- Correspondence to: Michael D. Henry, PhD, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, 6-510 Bowen Science Building, Iowa City, IA 52242, Ph: 319-335-7886, Fax: 319-335-7330,
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Lee AY, Perreault R, Harel S, Boulier EL, Suderman M, Hallett M, Jenna S. Searching for signaling balance through the identification of genetic interactors of the Rab guanine-nucleotide dissociation inhibitor gdi-1. PLoS One 2010; 5:e10624. [PMID: 20498707 PMCID: PMC2869356 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2009] [Accepted: 03/22/2010] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The symptoms of numerous diseases result from genetic mutations that disrupt the homeostasis maintained by the appropriate integration of signaling gene activities. The relationships between signaling genes suggest avenues through which homeostasis can be restored and disease symptoms subsequently reduced. Specifically, disease symptoms caused by loss-of-function mutations in a particular gene may be reduced by concomitant perturbations in genes with antagonistic activities. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we use network-neighborhood analyses to predict genetic interactions in Caenorhabditis elegans towards mapping antagonisms and synergisms between genes in an animal model. Most of the predicted interactions are novel, and the experimental validation establishes that our approach provides a gain in accuracy compared to previous efforts. In particular, we identified genetic interactors of gdi-1, the orthologue of GDI1, a gene associated with mental retardation in human. Interestingly, some gdi-1 interactors have human orthologues with known neurological functions, and upon validation of the interactions in mammalian systems, these orthologues would be potential therapeutic targets for GDI1-associated neurological disorders. We also observed the conservation of a gdi-1 interaction between different cellular systems in C. elegans, suggesting the involvement of GDI1 in human muscle degeneration. Conclusions/Significance We developed a novel predictor of genetic interactions that may have the ability to significantly streamline the identification of therapeutic targets for monogenic disorders involving genes conserved between human and C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Y. Lee
- McGill Centre for Bioinformatics, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- School of Computer Science, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Richard Perreault
- Department of Chemistry, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Sharon Harel
- Department of Chemistry, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Elodie L. Boulier
- Department of Chemistry, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Matthew Suderman
- McGill Centre for Bioinformatics, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Michael Hallett
- McGill Centre for Bioinformatics, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- School of Computer Science, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Centre, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Sarah Jenna
- Department of Chemistry, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Pharmaqam, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Biomed, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Hueston JL, Suprenant KA. Loss of dystrophin and the microtubule-binding protein ELP-1 causes progressive paralysis and death of adult C. elegans. Dev Dyn 2009; 238:1878-86. [PMID: 19582871 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.22007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
EMAP-like proteins (ELPs) are conserved microtubule-binding proteins that function during cell division and in the behavior of post-mitotic cells. In Caenorhabditis elegans, ELP-1 is broadly expressed in many cells and tissues including the touch receptor neurons and body wall muscle. Within muscle, ELP-1 is associated with a microtubule network that is closely opposed to the integrin-based adhesion sites called dense bodies. To examine ELP-1 function, we utilized an elp-1 RNA interference assay and screened for synthetic interactions with mutated adhesion site proteins. We reveal a synthetic lethal relationship between ELP-1 and the dystrophin-like protein, DYS-1. Reduction of ELP-1 in a dystrophin [dys-1(cx18)] mutant results in adult animals with motility defects, splayed and hypercontracted muscle with altered cholinergic signaling. Worms fill with vesicles, become flaccid, and die. We conclude that ELP-1 is a genetic modifier of a C. elegans model of muscular dystrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Hueston
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534, USA
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Sciandra F, Bozzi M, Morlacchi S, Galtieri A, Giardina B, Brancaccio A. Mutagenesis at the alpha-beta interface impairs the cleavage of the dystroglycan precursor. FEBS J 2009; 276:4933-45. [PMID: 19694806 DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2009.07196.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The interaction between a-dystroglycan (alpha-DG) and beta-dystroglycan (beta-DG), the two constituent subunits of the adhesion complex dystroglycan, is crucial in maintaining the integrity of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex. The importance of the alpha-beta interface can be seen in the skeletal muscle of humans affected by severe conditions, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, where the alpha-beta interaction can be secondarily weakened or completely lost, causing sarcolemmal instability and muscular necrosis. The reciprocal binding epitopes of the two subunits reside within the C-terminus of alpha-DG and the ectodomain of beta-DG. As no ultimate structural data are yet available on the alpha-beta interface, site-directed mutagenesis was used to identify which specific amino acids are involved in the interaction. A previous alanine-scanning analysis of the recombinant beta-DG ectodomain allowed the identification of two phenylalanines important for alpha-DG binding, namely F692 and F718. In this article, similar experiments performed on the alpha-DG C-terminal domain pinpointed two residues, G563 and P565, as possible binding counterparts of the two beta-DG phenylalanines. In 293-Ebna cells, the introduction of alanine residues instead of F692, F718, G563 and P565 prevented the cleavage of the DG precursor that liberates alpha- and beta-DG, generating a pre-DG of about 160 kDa. This uncleaved pre-DG tetramutant is properly targeted at the cell membrane, is partially glycosylated and still binds laminin in pull-down assays. These data reinforce the notion that DG processing and its membrane targeting are two independent processes, and shed new light on the molecular mechanism that drives the maturation of the DG precursor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Sciandra
- Istituto di Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare (CNR), c/o Istituto di Biochimica e Biochimica Clinica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
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Chikina MD, Huttenhower C, Murphy CT, Troyanskaya OG. Global prediction of tissue-specific gene expression and context-dependent gene networks in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS Comput Biol 2009; 5:e1000417. [PMID: 19543383 PMCID: PMC2692103 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2009] [Accepted: 05/14/2009] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Tissue-specific gene expression plays a fundamental role in metazoan biology and is an important aspect of many complex diseases. Nevertheless, an organism-wide map of tissue-specific expression remains elusive due to difficulty in obtaining these data experimentally. Here, we leveraged existing whole-animal Caenorhabditis elegans microarray data representing diverse conditions and developmental stages to generate accurate predictions of tissue-specific gene expression and experimentally validated these predictions. These patterns of tissue-specific expression are more accurate than existing high-throughput experimental studies for nearly all tissues; they also complement existing experiments by addressing tissue-specific expression present at particular developmental stages and in small tissues. We used these predictions to address several experimentally challenging questions, including the identification of tissue-specific transcriptional motifs and the discovery of potential miRNA regulation specific to particular tissues. We also investigate the role of tissue context in gene function through tissue-specific functional interaction networks. To our knowledge, this is the first study producing high-accuracy predictions of tissue-specific expression and interactions for a metazoan organism based on whole-animal data. In animals, a crucial facet of any gene's function is the tissue or cell type in which that gene is expressed and the proteins that it interacts with in that cell. However, genome-wide identification of expression across the multitude of tissues of varying size and complexity is difficult to achieve experimentally. In this paper, we show that microararray data collected from whole animals can be analyzed to yield high-quality predictions of tissue-specific expression. These predictions are of better or comparable accuracy to tissue-specific expression determined from high-throughput experiments. Our results provide a global view of tissue-specific expression in Caenorhabditis elegans, allowing us to address the question of how expression patterns are regulated and to analyze how the functions of genes that are expressed in several tissues are influenced by the cellular context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria D Chikina
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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Mirouse V, Christoforou CP, Fritsch C, St Johnston D, Ray RP. Dystroglycan and perlecan provide a basal cue required for epithelial polarity during energetic stress. Dev Cell 2009; 16:83-92. [PMID: 19154720 PMCID: PMC2789236 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2008.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2008] [Revised: 09/29/2008] [Accepted: 11/04/2008] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Dystroglycan localizes to the basal domain of epithelial cells and has been reported to play a role in apical-basal polarity. Here, we show that Dystroglycan null mutant follicle cells have normal apical-basal polarity, but lose the planar polarity of their basal actin stress fibers, a phenotype it shares with Dystrophin mutants. However, unlike Dystrophin mutants, mutants in Dystroglycan or in its extracellular matrix ligand Perlecan lose polarity under energetic stress. The maintenance of epithelial polarity under energetic stress requires the activation of Myosin II by the cellular energy sensor AMPK. Starved Dystroglycan or Perlecan null cells activate AMPK normally, but do not activate Myosin II. Thus, Perlecan signaling through Dystroglycan may determine where Myosin II can be activated by AMPK, thereby providing the basal polarity cue for the low-energy epithelial polarity pathway. Since Dystroglycan is often downregulated in tumors, loss of this pathway may play a role in cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Mirouse
- The Gurdon Institute and the Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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44
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Trzebiatowska A, Topf U, Sauder U, Drabikowski K, Chiquet-Ehrismann R. Caenorhabditis elegans teneurin, ten-1, is required for gonadal and pharyngeal basement membrane integrity and acts redundantly with integrin ina-1 and dystroglycan dgn-1. Mol Biol Cell 2008; 19:3898-908. [PMID: 18632986 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e08-01-0028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The Caenorhabditis elegans teneurin ortholog, ten-1, plays an important role in gonad and pharynx development. We found that lack of TEN-1 does not affect germline proliferation but leads to local basement membrane deficiency and early gonad disruption. Teneurin is expressed in the somatic precursor cells of the gonad that appear to be crucial for gonad epithelialization and basement membrane integrity. Ten-1 null mutants also arrest as L1 larvae with malformed pharynges and disorganized pharyngeal basement membranes. The pleiotropic phenotype of ten-1 mutant worms is similar to defects found in basement membrane receptor mutants ina-1 and dgn-1 as well as in the mutants of the extracellular matrix component laminin, epi-1. We show that the ten-1 mutation is synthetic lethal with mutations of genes encoding basement membrane components and receptors due to pharyngeal or hypodermal defects. This indicates that TEN-1 could act redundantly with integrin INA-1, dystroglycan DGN-1, and laminin EPI-1 in C. elegans development. Moreover, ten-1 deletion sensitizes worms to loss of nidogen nid-1 causing a pharynx unattached phenotype in ten-1;nid-1 double mutants. We conclude that TEN-1 is important for basement membrane maintenance and/or adhesion in particular organs and affects the function of somatic gonad precursor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Trzebiatowska
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Novartis Research Foundation, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
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45
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Woo WM, Berry E, Hudson ML, Swale RE, Goncharov A, Chisholm AD. The C. elegans F-spondin family protein SPON-1 maintains cell adhesion in neural and non-neural tissues. Development 2008; 135:2747-2756. [PMID: 18614580 DOI: 10.1242/dev.015289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The F-spondin family of extracellular matrix proteins has been implicated in axon outgrowth, fasciculation and neuronal cell migration, as well as in the differentiation and proliferation of non-neuronal cells. In screens for mutants defective in C. elegans embryonic morphogenesis, we identified SPON-1, the only C. elegans member of the spondin family. SPON-1 is synthesized in body muscles and localizes to integrin-containing structures on body muscles and to other basement membranes. SPON-1 maintains strong attachments of muscles to epidermis; in the absence of SPON-1, muscles progressively detach from the epidermis, causing defective epidermal elongation. In animals with reduced integrin function, SPON-1 becomes dose dependent, suggesting that SPON-1 and integrins function in concert to promote the attachment of muscles to the basement membrane. Although spon-1 mutants display largely normal neurite outgrowth, spon-1 synergizes with outgrowth defective mutants, revealing a cryptic role for SPON-1 in axon extension. In motoneurons, SPON-1 acts in axon guidance and fasciculation, whereas in interneurons SPON-1 maintains process position. Our results show that a spondin maintains cell-matrix adhesion in multiple tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Meng Woo
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, Sinsheimer Laboratories, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
| | - Emily Berry
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, Sinsheimer Laboratories, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064.,Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Martin L Hudson
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, Sinsheimer Laboratories, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
| | - Ryann E Swale
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, Sinsheimer Laboratories, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
| | - Alexandr Goncharov
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute
| | - Andrew D Chisholm
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
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46
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Akhavan A, Crivelli SN, Singh M, Lingappa VR, Muschler JL. SEA domain proteolysis determines the functional composition of dystroglycan. FASEB J 2007; 22:612-21. [PMID: 17905726 DOI: 10.1096/fj.07-8354com] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Post-translational modifications of the extracellular matrix receptor dystroglycan (DG) determine its functional state, and defects in these modifications are linked to muscular dystrophies and cancers. A prominent feature of DG biosynthesis is a precursor cleavage that segregates the ligand-binding and transmembrane domains into the noncovalently attached alpha- and beta-subunits. We investigate here the structural determinants and functional significance of this cleavage. We show that cleavage of DG elicits a conspicuous change in its ligand-binding activity. Mutations that obstruct this cleavage result in increased capacity to bind laminin, in part, due to enhanced glycosylation of alpha-DG. Reconstitution of DG cleavage in a cell-free expression system demonstrates that cleavage takes place in the endoplasmic reticulum, providing a suitable regulatory point for later processing events. Sequence and mutational analyses reveal that the cleavage occurs within a full SEA (sea urchin, enterokinase, agrin) module with traits matching those ascribed to autoproteolysis. Thus, cleavage of DG constitutes a control point for the modulation of its ligand-binding properties, with therapeutic implications for muscular dystrophies. We provide a structural model for the cleavage domain that is validated by experimental analysis and discuss this cleavage in the context of mucin protein and SEA domain evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armin Akhavan
- California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, 475 Brannan St., Ste. 220, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA
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47
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Hrus A, Lau G, Hutter H, Schenk S, Ferralli J, Brown-Luedi M, Chiquet-Ehrismann R, Canevascini S. C. elegans agrin is expressed in pharynx, IL1 neurons and distal tip cells and does not genetically interact with genes involved in synaptogenesis or muscle function. PLoS One 2007; 2:e731. [PMID: 17710131 PMCID: PMC1939731 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2007] [Accepted: 07/17/2007] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Agrin is a basement membrane protein crucial for development and maintenance of the neuromuscular junction in vertebrates. The C. elegans genome harbors a putative agrin gene agr-1. We have cloned the corresponding cDNA to determine the primary structure of the protein and expressed its recombinant fragments to raise specific antibodies. The domain organization of AGR-1 is very similar to the vertebrate orthologues. C. elegans agrin contains a signal sequence for secretion, seven follistatin domains, three EGF-like repeats and two laminin G domains. AGR-1 loss of function mutants did not exhibit any overt phenotypes and did not acquire resistance to the acetylcholine receptor agonist levamisole. Furthermore, crossing them with various mutants for components of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex with impaired muscle function did not lead to an aggravation of the phenotypes. Promoter-GFP translational fusion as well as immunostaining of worms revealed expression of agrin in buccal epithelium and the protein deposition in the basal lamina of the pharynx. Furthermore, dorsal and ventral IL1 head neurons and distal tip cells of the gonad arms are sources of agrin production, but no expression was detectable in body muscles or in the motoneurons innervating them. Recombinant worm AGR-1 fragment is able to cluster vertebrate dystroglycan in cultured cells, implying a conservation of this interaction, but since neither of these proteins is expressed in muscle of C. elegans, this interaction may be required in different tissues. The connections between muscle cells and the basement membrane, as well as neuromuscular junctions, are structurally distinct between vertebrates and nematodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Hrus
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Novartis Research Foundation, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Gordon Lau
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Novartis Research Foundation, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Harald Hutter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Susanne Schenk
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Novartis Research Foundation, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jacqueline Ferralli
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Novartis Research Foundation, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marianne Brown-Luedi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Novartis Research Foundation, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ruth Chiquet-Ehrismann
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Novartis Research Foundation, Basel, Switzerland
- * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
| | - Stefano Canevascini
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Novartis Research Foundation, Basel, Switzerland
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48
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Sciandra F, Gawlik KI, Brancaccio A, Durbeej M. Dystroglycan: a possible mediator for reducing congenital muscular dystrophy? Trends Biotechnol 2007; 25:262-8. [PMID: 17416431 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2007.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2007] [Revised: 02/22/2007] [Accepted: 04/03/2007] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Alpha-dystroglycan is a highly glycosylated peripheral protein forming a complex with the membrane-spanning beta-dystroglycan and establishing a connection between the extracellular matrix and the cytoskeleton. In skeletal muscle, as part of the larger dystrophin-glycoprotein complex, dystroglycan is believed to be essential for maintaining the structural and functional stability of muscle fibers. Recent work highlights the role of abnormal dystroglycan glycosylation at the basis of glycosyltransferase-deficient congenital muscular dystrophies. Notably, modulation of glycosyltransferase activity can restore alpha-dystroglycan receptor function in these disorders. Moreover, transgenic approaches favoring the interaction between dystroglycan and the extracellular matrix molecules also represent an innovative way to restore skeletal muscle structure. These pioneering approaches might comprise an important first step towards the design of gene-transfer-based strategies for the rescue of congenital muscular dystrophies involving dystroglycan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Sciandra
- Istituto di Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare (CNR), c/o Istituto di Biochimica e Biochimica Clinica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
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49
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Anderson C, Winder SJ, Borycki AG. Dystroglycan protein distribution coincides with basement membranes and muscle differentiation during mouse embryogenesis. Dev Dyn 2007; 236:2627-35. [PMID: 17676646 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.21259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Using immunohistochemistry, we have examined beta-Dystroglycan protein distribution in the mouse embryo at embryonic stages E9.5 to E11.5. Our data show that Dystroglycan expression correlates with basement membranes in many tissues, such as the notochord, neural tube, promesonephros, and myotome. In the myotome, we describe the timing of Dystroglycan protein re-distribution at the surface of myogenic precursor cells as basement membrane assembles into a continuous sheet. We also report on non-basement-membrane-associated Dystroglycan expression in the floor plate and the myocardium. This distribution often corresponds to sites of expression previously reported in adults, suggesting that Dystroglycan is continuously produced during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Anderson
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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