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Sun J, Zhang C, Gao F, Stathopoulos A. Single-cell transcriptomics illuminates regulatory steps driving anterior-posterior patterning of Drosophila embryonic mesoderm. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113289. [PMID: 37858470 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113289] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Single-cell technologies promise to uncover how transcriptional programs orchestrate complex processes during embryogenesis. Here, we apply a combination of single-cell technology and genetic analysis to investigate the dynamic transcriptional changes associated with Drosophila embryo morphogenesis at gastrulation. Our dataset encompassing the blastoderm-to-gastrula transition provides a comprehensive single-cell map of gene expression across cell lineages validated by genetic analysis. Subclustering and trajectory analyses revealed a surprising stepwise progression in patterning to transition zygotic gene expression and specify germ layers as well as uncovered an early role for ecdysone signaling in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in the mesoderm. We also show multipotent progenitors arise prior to gastrulation by analyzing the transcription trajectory of caudal mesoderm cells, including a derivative that ultimately incorporates into visceral muscles of the midgut and hindgut. This study provides a rich resource of gastrulation and elucidates spatially regulated temporal transitions of transcription states during the process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Sun
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Chen Zhang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Fan Gao
- Bioinformatics Resource Center, Beckman Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Angelike Stathopoulos
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
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2
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Junion G, Jagla K. Diversification of muscle types in Drosophila embryos. Exp Cell Res 2022; 410:112950. [PMID: 34838813 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2021.112950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Drosophila embryonic somatic muscles represent a simple and tractable model system to study the gene regulatory networks that control diversification of cell types. Somatic myogenesis in Drosophila is initiated by intrinsic action of the mesodermal master gene twist, which activates a cascade of transcriptional outputs including myogenic differentiation factor Mef2, which triggers all aspects of the myogenic differentiation program. In parallel, the expression of a combinatorial code of identity transcription factors (iTFs) defines discrete particular features of each muscle fiber, such as number of fusion events, and specific attachment to tendon cells or innervation, thus ensuring diversification of muscle types. Here, we take the example of a subset of lateral transverse (LT) muscles and discuss how the iTF code and downstream effector genes progressively define individual LT properties such as fusion program, attachment and innervation. We discuss new challenges in the field including the contribution of posttranscriptional and epitranscriptomic regulation of gene expression in the diversification of cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Junion
- Genetics Reproduction and Development Institute (iGReD), CNRS UMR6293, INSERM U1103, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Krzysztof Jagla
- Genetics Reproduction and Development Institute (iGReD), CNRS UMR6293, INSERM U1103, University of Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
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3
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Howard AM, Milner H, Hupp M, Willett C, Palermino K, Nowak SJ. Akirin is critical for early tinman induction and subsequent formation of the heart in Drosophila melanogaster. Dev Biol 2020; 469:1-11. [PMID: 32950464 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The regulation of formation of the Drosophila heart by the Nkx 2.5 homologue Tinman is a key event during embryonic development. In this study, we identify the highly conserved transcription cofactor Akirin as a key factor in the earliest induction of tinman by the Twist transcription cofactor. akirin mutant embryos display a variety of morphological defects in the heart, including abnormal spacing between rows of aortic cells and abnormal patterning of the aortic outflow tract. akirin mutant embryos have a greatly reduced level of tinman transcripts, together with a reduction of Tinman protein in the earliest stages of cardiac patterning. Further, akirin mutants have reduced numbers of Tinman-positive cardiomyoblasts, concomitant with disrupted patterning and organization of the heart. Finally, despite the apparent formation of the heart in akirin mutants, these mutant hearts exhibit fewer coordinated contractions in akirin mutants compared with wild-type hearts. These results indicate that Akirin is crucial for the first induction of tinman by the Twist transcription factor, and that the success of the cardiac patterning program is highly dependent upon establishing the proper level of tinman at the earliest steps of the cardiac developmental pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin M Howard
- Master of Science in Integrative Biology Program, Kennesaw State University, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, 30144, USA
| | - Hayley Milner
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, 30144, USA
| | - Madison Hupp
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, 30144, USA
| | - Courtney Willett
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, 30144, USA
| | - Kristina Palermino
- Master of Science in Integrative Biology Program, Kennesaw State University, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, 30144, USA
| | - Scott J Nowak
- Master of Science in Integrative Biology Program, Kennesaw State University, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, 30144, USA.
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4
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Zappia MP, de Castro L, Ariss MM, Jefferson H, Islam AB, Frolov MV. A cell atlas of adult muscle precursors uncovers early events in fibre-type divergence in Drosophila. EMBO Rep 2020; 21:e49555. [PMID: 32815271 PMCID: PMC7534622 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201949555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
In Drosophila, the wing disc‐associated muscle precursor cells give rise to the fibrillar indirect flight muscles (IFM) and the tubular direct flight muscles (DFM). To understand early transcriptional events underlying this muscle diversification, we performed single‐cell RNA‐sequencing experiments and built a cell atlas of myoblasts associated with third instar larval wing disc. Our analysis identified distinct transcriptional signatures for IFM and DFM myoblasts that underlie the molecular basis of their divergence. The atlas further revealed various states of differentiation of myoblasts, thus illustrating previously unappreciated spatial and temporal heterogeneity among them. We identified and validated novel markers for both IFM and DFM myoblasts at various states of differentiation by immunofluorescence and genetic cell‐tracing experiments. Finally, we performed a systematic genetic screen using a panel of markers from the reference cell atlas as an entry point and found a novel gene, Amalgam which is functionally important in muscle development. Our work provides a framework for leveraging scRNA‐seq for gene discovery and details a strategy that can be applied to other scRNA‐seq datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Paula Zappia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lucia de Castro
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Majd M Ariss
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Holly Jefferson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Abul Bmmk Islam
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Maxim V Frolov
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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5
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Carayon A, Bataillé L, Lebreton G, Dubois L, Pelletier A, Carrier Y, Wystrach A, Vincent A, Frendo JL. Intrinsic control of muscle attachment sites matching. eLife 2020; 9:57547. [PMID: 32706334 PMCID: PMC7431191 DOI: 10.7554/elife.57547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Myogenesis is an evolutionarily conserved process. Little known, however, is how the morphology of each muscle is determined, such that movements relying upon contraction of many muscles are both precise and coordinated. Each Drosophila larval muscle is a single multinucleated fibre whose morphology reflects expression of distinctive identity Transcription Factors (iTFs). By deleting transcription cis-regulatory modules of one iTF, Collier, we generated viable muscle identity mutants, allowing live imaging and locomotion assays. We show that both selection of muscle attachment sites and muscle/muscle matching is intrinsic to muscle identity and requires transcriptional reprogramming of syncytial nuclei. Live-imaging shows that the staggered muscle pattern involves attraction to tendon cells and heterotypic muscle-muscle adhesion. Unbalance leads to formation of branched muscles, and this correlates with locomotor behavior deficit. Thus, engineering Drosophila muscle identity mutants allows to investigate, in vivo, physiological and mechanical properties of abnormal muscles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Carayon
- Centre de Biologie du Développement (CBD), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Laetitia Bataillé
- Centre de Biologie du Développement (CBD), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Gaëlle Lebreton
- Centre de Biologie du Développement (CBD), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Laurence Dubois
- Centre de Biologie du Développement (CBD), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Aurore Pelletier
- Centre de Biologie du Développement (CBD), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Yannick Carrier
- Centre de Biologie du Développement (CBD), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Antoine Wystrach
- Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Alain Vincent
- Centre de Biologie du Développement (CBD), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Louis Frendo
- Centre de Biologie du Développement (CBD), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition Animale (CRCA), Toulouse, France.,Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
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6
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Poovathumkadavil P, Jagla K. Genetic Control of Muscle Diversification and Homeostasis: Insights from Drosophila. Cells 2020; 9:cells9061543. [PMID: 32630420 PMCID: PMC7349286 DOI: 10.3390/cells9061543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, the larval somatic muscles or the adult thoracic flight and leg muscles are the major voluntary locomotory organs. They share several developmental and structural similarities with vertebrate skeletal muscles. To ensure appropriate activity levels for their functions such as hatching in the embryo, crawling in the larva, and jumping and flying in adult flies all muscle components need to be maintained in a functionally stable or homeostatic state despite constant strain. This requires that the muscles develop in a coordinated manner with appropriate connections to other cell types they communicate with. Various signaling pathways as well as extrinsic and intrinsic factors are known to play a role during Drosophila muscle development, diversification, and homeostasis. In this review, we discuss genetic control mechanisms of muscle contraction, development, and homeostasis with particular emphasis on the contractile unit of the muscle, the sarcomere.
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8
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Fu CL, Wang XF, Cheng Q, Wang D, Hirose S, Liu QX. The T-box transcription factor Midline regulates wing development by repressing wingless and hedgehog in Drosophila. Sci Rep 2016; 6:27981. [PMID: 27301278 PMCID: PMC4908378 DOI: 10.1038/srep27981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Wingless (Wg) and Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathways are key players in animal development. However, regulation of the expression of wg and hh are not well understood. Here, we show that Midline (Mid), an evolutionarily conserved transcription factor, expresses in the wing disc of Drosophila and plays a vital role in wing development. Loss or knock down of mid in the wing disc induced hyper-expression of wingless (wg) and yielded cocked and non-flat wings. Over-expression of mid in the wing disc markedly repressed the expression of wg, DE-Cadherin (DE-Cad) and armadillo (arm), and resulted in a small and blistered wing. In addition, a reduction in the dose of mid enhanced phenotypes of a gain-of-function mutant of hedgehog (hh). We also observed repression of hh upon overexpression of mid in the wing disc. Taken together, we propose that Mid regulates wing development by repressing wg and hh in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chong-Lei Fu
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Xian-Feng Wang
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Qian Cheng
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Dan Wang
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Susumu Hirose
- Department of Developmental Genetics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
| | - Qing-Xin Liu
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China
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9
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Dobi KC, Schulman VK, Baylies MK. Specification of the somatic musculature in Drosophila. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2015; 4:357-75. [PMID: 25728002 PMCID: PMC4456285 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2014] [Revised: 01/16/2015] [Accepted: 02/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The somatic muscle system formed during Drosophila embryogenesis is required for larvae to hatch, feed, and crawl. This system is replaced in the pupa by a new adult muscle set, responsible for activities such as feeding, walking, and flight. Both the larval and adult muscle systems are comprised of distinct muscle fibers to serve these specific motor functions. In this way, the Drosophila musculature is a valuable model for patterning within a single tissue: while all muscle cells share properties such as the contractile apparatus, properties such as size, position, and number of nuclei are unique for a particular muscle. In the embryo, diversification of muscle fibers relies first on signaling cascades that pattern the mesoderm. Subsequently, the combinatorial expression of specific transcription factors leads muscle fibers to adopt particular sizes, shapes, and orientations. Adult muscle precursors (AMPs), set aside during embryonic development, proliferate during the larval phases and seed the formation of the abdominal, leg, and flight muscles in the adult fly. Adult muscle fibers may either be formed de novo from the fusion of the AMPs, or are created by the binding of AMPs to an existing larval muscle. While less is known about adult muscle specification compared to the larva, expression of specific transcription factors is also important for its diversification. Increasingly, the mechanisms required for the diversification of fly muscle have found parallels in vertebrate systems and mark Drosophila as a robust model system to examine questions about how diverse cell types are generated within an organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista C. Dobi
- Program in Developmental Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Victoria K. Schulman
- Program in Developmental Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY, USA
- Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mary K. Baylies
- Program in Developmental Biology, Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY, USA
- Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
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