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Liu J, Murray JI. Mechanisms of lineage specification in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2023; 225:iyad174. [PMID: 37847877 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad174] [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: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The studies of cell fate and lineage specification are fundamental to our understanding of the development of multicellular organisms. Caenorhabditis elegans has been one of the premiere systems for studying cell fate specification mechanisms at single cell resolution, due to its transparent nature, the invariant cell lineage, and fixed number of somatic cells. We discuss the general themes and regulatory mechanisms that have emerged from these studies, with a focus on somatic lineages and cell fates. We next review the key factors and pathways that regulate the specification of discrete cells and lineages during embryogenesis and postembryonic development; we focus on transcription factors and include numerous lineage diagrams that depict the expression of key factors that specify embryonic founder cells and postembryonic blast cells, and the diverse somatic cell fates they generate. We end by discussing some future perspectives in cell and lineage specification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Liu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - John Isaac Murray
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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2
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Medwig-Kinney TN, Kinney BA, Martinez MAQ, Yee C, Sirota SS, Mullarkey AA, Somineni N, Hippler J, Zhang W, Shen K, Hammell C, Pani AM, Matus DQ. Dynamic compartmentalization of the pro-invasive transcription factor NHR-67 reveals a role for Groucho in regulating a proliferative-invasive cellular switch in C. elegans. eLife 2023; 12:RP84355. [PMID: 38038410 PMCID: PMC10691804 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84355] [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] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggests that cell division and basement membrane invasion are mutually exclusive cellular behaviors. How cells switch between proliferative and invasive states is not well understood. Here, we investigated this dichotomy in vivo by examining two cell types in the developing Caenorhabditis elegans somatic gonad that derive from equipotent progenitors, but exhibit distinct cell behaviors: the post-mitotic, invasive anchor cell and the neighboring proliferative, non-invasive ventral uterine (VU) cells. We show that the fates of these cells post-specification are more plastic than previously appreciated and that levels of NHR-67 are important for discriminating between invasive and proliferative behavior. Transcription of NHR-67 is downregulated following post-translational degradation of its direct upstream regulator, HLH-2 (E/Daughterless) in VU cells. In the nuclei of VU cells, residual NHR-67 protein is compartmentalized into discrete punctae that are dynamic over the cell cycle and exhibit liquid-like properties. By screening for proteins that colocalize with NHR-67 punctae, we identified new regulators of uterine cell fate maintenance: homologs of the transcriptional co-repressor Groucho (UNC-37 and LSY-22), as well as the TCF/LEF homolog POP-1. We propose a model in which the association of NHR-67 with the Groucho/TCF complex suppresses the default invasive state in non-invasive cells, which complements transcriptional regulation to add robustness to the proliferative-invasive cellular switch in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor N Medwig-Kinney
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Brian A Kinney
- Cold Spring Harbor LaboratoryCold Spring HarborUnited States
| | - Michael AQ Martinez
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Callista Yee
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Sydney S Sirota
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Angelina A Mullarkey
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Neha Somineni
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Justin Hippler
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
- Science and Technology Research Program, Smithtown High School EastSt. JamesUnited States
| | - Wan Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Kang Shen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | | | - Ariel M Pani
- Departments of Biology and Cell Biology, University of VirginiaCharlottesvilleUnited States
| | - David Q Matus
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
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Martinez MAQ, Matus DQ. CDK activity sensors: genetically encoded ratiometric biosensors for live analysis of the cell cycle. Biochem Soc Trans 2022; 50:1081-1090. [PMID: 35674434 PMCID: PMC9661961 DOI: 10.1042/bst20211131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) sensors have facilitated investigations of the cell cycle in living cells. These genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors change their subcellular location upon activation of CDKs. Activation is primarily regulated by their association with cyclins, which in turn trigger cell-cycle progression. In the absence of CDK activity, cells exit the cell cycle and become quiescent, a key step in stem cell maintenance and cancer cell dormancy. The evolutionary conservation of CDKs has allowed for the rapid development of CDK activity sensors for cell lines and several research organisms, including nematodes, fish, and flies. CDK activity sensors are utilized for their ability to visualize the exact moment of cell-cycle commitment. This has provided a breakthrough in understanding the proliferation-quiescence decision. Further adoption of these biosensors will usher in new discoveries focused on the cell-cycle regulation of development, ageing, and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Q Martinez
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, U.S.A
| | - David Q Matus
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, U.S.A
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4
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Katsanos D, Barkoulas M. Targeted DamID in C. elegans reveals a direct role for LIN-22 and NHR-25 in antagonizing the epidermal stem cell fate. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabk3141. [PMID: 35119932 PMCID: PMC8816332 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abk3141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Transcription factors are key players in gene networks controlling cell fate specification during development. In multicellular organisms, they display complex patterns of expression and binding to their targets, hence, tissue specificity is required in the characterization of transcription factor-target interactions. We introduce here targeted DamID (TaDa) as a method for tissue-specific transcription factor target identification in intact Caenorhabditis elegans animals. We use TaDa to recover targets in the epidermis for two factors, the HES1 homolog LIN-22, and the NR5A1/2 nuclear hormone receptor NHR-25. We demonstrate a direct link between LIN-22 and the Wnt signaling pathway through repression of the Frizzled receptor lin-17. We report a direct role for NHR-25 in promoting cell differentiation via repressing the expression of stem cell-promoting GATA factors. Our results expand our understanding of the epidermal gene network and highlight the potential of TaDa to dissect the architecture of tissue-specific gene regulatory networks.
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5
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Hintze M, Katsanos D, Shahrezaei V, Barkoulas M. Phenotypic Robustness of Epidermal Stem Cell Number in C. elegans Is Modulated by the Activity of the Conserved N-acetyltransferase nath-10/NAT10. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:640856. [PMID: 34084768 PMCID: PMC8168469 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.640856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual cells and organisms experience perturbations from internal and external sources, yet manage to buffer these to produce consistent phenotypes, a property known as robustness. While phenotypic robustness has often been examined in unicellular organisms, it has not been sufficiently studied in multicellular animals. Here, we investigate phenotypic robustness in Caenorhabditis elegans seam cells. Seam cells are stem cell-like epithelial cells along the lateral edges of the animal, which go through asymmetric and symmetric divisions contributing cells to the hypodermis and neurons, while replenishing the stem cell reservoir. The terminal number of seam cells is almost invariant in the wild-type population, allowing the investigation of how developmental precision is achieved. We report here that a loss-of-function mutation in the highly conserved N-acetyltransferase nath-10/NAT10 increases seam cell number variance in the isogenic population. RNA-seq analysis revealed increased levels of mRNA transcript variability in nath-10 mutant populations, which may have an impact on the phenotypic variability observed. Furthermore, we found disruption of Wnt signaling upon perturbing nath-10 function, as evidenced by changes in POP-1/TCF nuclear distribution and ectopic activation of its GATA transcription factor target egl-18. These results highlight that NATH-10/NAT-10 can influence phenotypic variability partly through modulation of the Wnt signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Hintze
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dimitris Katsanos
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Vahid Shahrezaei
- Department of Mathematics, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
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Adikes RC, Kohrman AQ, Martinez MAQ, Palmisano NJ, Smith JJ, Medwig-Kinney TN, Min M, Sallee MD, Ahmed OB, Kim N, Liu S, Morabito RD, Weeks N, Zhao Q, Zhang W, Feldman JL, Barkoulas M, Pani AM, Spencer SL, Martin BL, Matus DQ. Visualizing the metazoan proliferation-quiescence decision in vivo. eLife 2020; 9:e63265. [PMID: 33350383 PMCID: PMC7880687 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell proliferation and quiescence are intimately coordinated during metazoan development. Here, we adapt a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) sensor to uncouple these key events of the cell cycle in Caenorhabditis elegans and zebrafish through live-cell imaging. The CDK sensor consists of a fluorescently tagged CDK substrate that steadily translocates from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in response to increasing CDK activity and consequent sensor phosphorylation. We show that the CDK sensor can distinguish cycling cells in G1 from quiescent cells in G0, revealing a possible commitment point and a cryptic stochasticity in an otherwise invariant C. elegans cell lineage. Finally, we derive a predictive model of future proliferation behavior in C. elegans based on a snapshot of CDK activity in newly born cells. Thus, we introduce a live-cell imaging tool to facilitate in vivo studies of cell-cycle control in a wide-range of developmental contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca C Adikes
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Abraham Q Kohrman
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Michael A Q Martinez
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Nicholas J Palmisano
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Jayson J Smith
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Taylor N Medwig-Kinney
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Mingwei Min
- Department of Biochemistry and BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderUnited States
| | - Maria D Sallee
- Department of Biology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Ononnah B Ahmed
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Nuri Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Simeiyun Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Robert D Morabito
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Nicholas Weeks
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Qinyun Zhao
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - Wan Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | | | | | - Ariel M Pani
- Department of Biology, University of VirginiaCharlottesvilleUnited States
| | - Sabrina L Spencer
- Department of Biochemistry and BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderUnited States
| | - Benjamin L Martin
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
| | - David Q Matus
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookUnited States
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Hintze M, Koneru SL, Gilbert SPR, Katsanos D, Lambert J, Barkoulas M. A Cell Fate Switch in the Caenorhabditis elegans Seam Cell Lineage Occurs Through Modulation of the Wnt Asymmetry Pathway in Response to Temperature Increase. Genetics 2020; 214:927-939. [PMID: 31988193 PMCID: PMC7153939 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.302896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Populations often display consistent developmental phenotypes across individuals despite inevitable biological stochasticity. Nevertheless, developmental robustness has limits, and systems can fail upon change in the environment or the genetic background. We use here the seam cells, a population of epidermal stem cells in Caenorhabditis elegans, to study the influence of temperature change and genetic variation on cell fate. Seam cell development has mostly been studied so far in the laboratory reference strain (N2), grown at 20° temperature. We demonstrate that an increase in culture temperature to 25° introduces variability in the wild-type seam cell lineage, with a proportion of animals showing an increase in seam cell number. We map this increase to lineage-specific symmetrization events of normally asymmetric cell divisions at the fourth larval stage, leading to the retention of seam cell fate in both daughter cells. Using genetics and single-molecule imaging, we demonstrate that this symmetrization occurs via changes in the Wnt asymmetry pathway, leading to aberrant Wnt target activation in anterior cell daughters. We find that intrinsic differences in the Wnt asymmetry pathway already exist between seam cells at 20° and this may sensitize cells toward a cell fate switch at increased temperature. Finally, we demonstrate that wild isolates of C. elegans display variation in seam cell sensitivity to increased culture temperature, although their average seam cell number is comparable at 20°. Our results highlight how temperature can modulate cell fate decisions in an invertebrate model of stem cell patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Hintze
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Sneha L Koneru
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | | | | | - Julien Lambert
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
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Sweeney K, Cameron ER, Blyth K. Complex Interplay between the RUNX Transcription Factors and Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway in Cancer: A Tango in the Night. Mol Cells 2020; 43:188-197. [PMID: 32041394 PMCID: PMC7057843 DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2019.0310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells are designed to be sensitive to a myriad of external cues so they can fulfil their individual destiny as part of the greater whole. A number of well-characterised signalling pathways dictate the cell's response to the external environment and incoming messages. In healthy, well-ordered homeostatic systems these signals are tightly controlled and kept in balance. However, given their powerful control over cell fate, these pathways, and the transcriptional machinery they orchestrate, are frequently hijacked during the development of neoplastic disease. A prime example is the Wnt signalling pathway that can be modulated by a variety of ligands and inhibitors, ultimately exerting its effects through the β-catenin transcription factor and its downstream target genes. Here we focus on the interplay between the three-member family of RUNX transcription factors with the Wnt pathway and how together they can influence cell behaviour and contribute to cancer development. In a recurring theme with other signalling systems, the RUNX genes and the Wnt pathway appear to operate within a series of feedback loops. RUNX genes are capable of directly and indirectly regulating different elements of the Wnt pathway to either strengthen or inhibit the signal. Equally, β-catenin and its transcriptional co-factors can control RUNX gene expression and together they can collaborate to regulate a large number of third party co-target genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerri Sweeney
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Glasgow G6 BD, UK
| | - Ewan R. Cameron
- Glasgow Veterinary School, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
| | - Karen Blyth
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Glasgow G6 BD, UK
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
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