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Jiang Q, Li K, Lu WJ, Li S, Chen X, Liu XJ, Yuan J, Ding Q, Lan F, Cai SQ. Identification of small-molecule ion channel modulators in C. elegans channelopathy models. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3941. [PMID: 30258187 PMCID: PMC6158242 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06514-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Ion channels are important therapeutic targets, but the discovery of ion channel drugs remains challenging due to a lack of assays that allow high-throughput screening in the physiological context. Here we report C. elegans phenotype-based methods for screening ion channel drugs. Expression of modified human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) potassium channels in C. elegans results in egg-laying and locomotive defects, which offer indicators for screening small-molecule channel modulators. Screening in worms expressing hERGA561V, which carries a trafficking-defective mutation A561V known to associate with long-QT syndrome, identifies two functional correctors Prostratin and ingenol-3,20-dibenzoate. These compounds activate PKCε signaling and consequently phosphorylate S606 at the pore region of the channel to promote hERGA561V trafficking to the plasma membrane. Importantly, the compounds correct electrophysiological abnormalities in hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes bearing a heterozygous CRISPR/Cas9-edited hERGA561V. Thus, we have developed an in vivo high-throughput method for screening compounds that have therapeutic potential in treating channelopathies. Mutations in the voltage-gated K+ channel human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) lead to Long-QT syndrome, causing life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia. Here the authors use C. elegans as a platform to run a channelopathy drug screen, identifying drugs to target hERG mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Jiang
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200031, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Kai Li
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200031, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Wen-Jing Lu
- Beijing Laboratory for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, 100029, Beijing, China
| | - Shuang Li
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Xin Chen
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200031, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China.,Developmental and Stem Cell Program, Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumor Research Centre, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, M5G 1X8, ON, Canada
| | - Xi-Juan Liu
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200031, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Yuan
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200031, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Qiurong Ding
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Feng Lan
- Beijing Laboratory for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, 100029, Beijing, China.
| | - Shi-Qing Cai
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200031, Shanghai, China.
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Barr MM, García LR, Portman DS. Sexual Dimorphism and Sex Differences in Caenorhabditis elegans Neuronal Development and Behavior. Genetics 2018; 208:909-935. [PMID: 29487147 PMCID: PMC5844341 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.117.300294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
As fundamental features of nearly all animal species, sexual dimorphisms and sex differences have particular relevance for the development and function of the nervous system. The unique advantages of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans have allowed the neurobiology of sex to be studied at unprecedented scale, linking ultrastructure, molecular genetics, cell biology, development, neural circuit function, and behavior. Sex differences in the C. elegans nervous system encompass prominent anatomical dimorphisms as well as differences in physiology and connectivity. The influence of sex on behavior is just as diverse, with biological sex programming innate sex-specific behaviors and modifying many other aspects of neural circuit function. The study of these differences has provided important insights into mechanisms of neurogenesis, cell fate specification, and differentiation; synaptogenesis and connectivity; principles of circuit function, plasticity, and behavior; social communication; and many other areas of modern neurobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maureen M Barr
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-8082
| | - L Rene García
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3258
| | - Douglas S Portman
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester, New York 14642
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, New York 14642
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, New York 14642
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