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Shukla HG, Chakraborty M, Emerson J. Genetic variation in recalcitrant repetitive regions of the Drosophila melanogaster genome. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.11.598575. [PMID: 38915508 PMCID: PMC11195212 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.11.598575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
Many essential functions of organisms are encoded in highly repetitive genomic regions, including histones involved in DNA packaging, centromeres that are core components of chromosome segregation, ribosomal RNA comprising the protein translation machinery, telomeres that ensure chromosome integrity, piRNA clusters encoding host defenses against selfish elements, and virtually the entire Y chromosome. These regions, formed by highly similar tandem arrays, pose significant challenges for experimental and informatic study, impeding sequence-level descriptions essential for understanding genetic variation. Here, we report the assembly and variation analysis of such repetitive regions in Drosophila melanogaster, offering significant improvements to the existing community reference assembly. Our work successfully recovers previously elusive segments, including complete reconstructions of the histone locus and the pericentric heterochromatin of the X chromosome, spanning the Stellate locus to the distal flank of the rDNA cluster. To infer structural changes in these regions where alignments are often not practicable, we introduce landmark anchors based on unique variants that are putatively orthologous. These regions display considerable structural variation between different D. melanogaster strains, exhibiting differences in copy number and organization of homologous repeat units between haplotypes. In the histone cluster, although we observe minimal genetic exchange indicative of crossing over, the variation patterns suggest mechanisms such as unequal sister chromatid exchange. We also examine the prevalence and scale of concerted evolution in the histone and Stellate clusters and discuss the mechanisms underlying these observed patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harsh G. Shukla
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
- Graduate Program in Mathematical, Computational and Systems Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
| | - Mahul Chakraborty
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - J.J. Emerson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
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2
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Salzler HR, Vandadi V, Matera AG. Set2 and H3K36 regulate the Drosophila male X chromosome in a context-specific manner, independent from MSL complex spreading. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.03.592390. [PMID: 38766267 PMCID: PMC11100620 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.03.592390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Dosage compensation in Drosophila involves upregulating male X-genes two-fold. This process is carried out by the MSL (male-specific lethal) complex, which binds high-affinity sites and spreads to surrounding genes. Current models of MSL spreading focus on interactions of MSL3 (male-specific lethal 3) with histone marks; in particular, Set2-dependent H3 lysine-36 trimethylation (H3K36me3). However, Set2 might affect DC via another target, or there could be redundancy between canonical H3.2 and variant H3.3 histones. Further, it is difficult to parse male-specific effects from those that are simply X-specific. To discriminate among these possibilities, we employed genomic approaches in H3K36 (residue) and Set2 (writer) mutants. The results confirm a role for Set2 in X-gene regulation, but show that expression trends in males are often mirrored in females. Instead of global male-specific reduction of X-genes in Set2/H3K36 mutants, the effects were heterogeneous. We identified cohorts of genes whose expression was significantly altered following loss of H3K36 or Set2, but the changes were in opposite directions, suggesting that H3K36me states have reciprocal functions. In contrast to H4K16R controls, analysis of combined H3.2K36R/H3.3K36R mutants neither showed consistent reduction in X-gene expression, nor any correlation with MSL3 binding. Examination of other developmental stages/tissues revealed additional layers of context-dependence. Our studies implicate BEAF-32 and other insulator proteins in Set2/H3K36-dependent regulation. Overall, the data are inconsistent with the prevailing model wherein H3K36me3 directly recruits the MSL complex. We propose that Set2 and H3K36 support DC indirectly, via processes that are utilized by MSL but common to both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harmony R. Salzler
- Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Vasudha Vandadi
- Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - A. Gregory Matera
- Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- RNA Discovery and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Centers, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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3
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Crain AT, Nevil M, Leatham-Jensen MP, Reeves KB, Matera AG, McKay DJ, Duronio RJ. Redesigning the Drosophila histone gene cluster: An improved genetic platform for spatiotemporal manipulation of histone function. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.25.591202. [PMID: 38712307 PMCID: PMC11071459 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.25.591202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Mutating replication-dependent (RD) histone genes is an important tool for understanding chromatin-based epigenetic regulation. Deploying this tool in metazoan models is particularly challenging because RD histones in these organisms are typically encoded by many genes, often located at multiple loci. Such RD histone gene arrangements make the ability to generate homogenous histone mutant genotypes by site-specific gene editing quite difficult. Drosophila melanogaster provides a solution to this problem because the RD histone genes are organized into a single large tandem array that can be deleted and replaced with transgenes containing mutant histone genes. In the last ∼15 years several different RD histone gene replacement platforms have been developed using this simple strategy. However, each platform contains weaknesses that preclude full use of the powerful developmental genetic capabilities available to Drosophila researchers. Here we describe the development of a newly engineered platform that rectifies many of these weaknesses. We used CRISPR to precisely delete the RD histone gene array ( HisC ), replacing it with a multifunctional cassette that permits site-specific insertion of either one or two synthetic gene arrays using selectable markers. We designed this cassette with the ability to selectively delete each of the integrated gene arrays in specific tissues using site-specific recombinases. We also present a method for rapidly synthesizing histone gene arrays of any genotype using Golden Gate cloning technologies. These improvements facilitate generation of histone mutant cells in various tissues at different stages of Drosophila development and provide an opportunity to apply forward genetic strategies to interrogate chromatin structure and gene regulation.
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Cabasso O, Kuppuramalingam A, Lelieveld L, Van der Lienden M, Boot R, Aerts JM, Horowitz M. Animal Models for the Study of Gaucher Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16035. [PMID: 38003227 PMCID: PMC10671165 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
In Gaucher disease (GD), a relatively common sphingolipidosis, the mutant lysosomal enzyme acid β-glucocerebrosidase (GCase), encoded by the GBA1 gene, fails to properly hydrolyze the sphingolipid glucosylceramide (GlcCer) in lysosomes, particularly of tissue macrophages. As a result, GlcCer accumulates, which, to a certain extent, is converted to its deacylated form, glucosylsphingosine (GlcSph), by lysosomal acid ceramidase. The inability of mutant GCase to degrade GlcSph further promotes its accumulation. The amount of mutant GCase in lysosomes depends on the amount of mutant ER enzyme that shuttles to them. In the case of many mutant GCase forms, the enzyme is largely misfolded in the ER. Only a fraction correctly folds and is subsequently trafficked to the lysosomes, while the rest of the misfolded mutant GCase protein undergoes ER-associated degradation (ERAD). The retention of misfolded mutant GCase in the ER induces ER stress, which evokes a stress response known as the unfolded protein response (UPR). GD is remarkably heterogeneous in clinical manifestation, including the variant without CNS involvement (type 1), and acute and subacute neuronopathic variants (types 2 and 3). The present review discusses animal models developed to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying GD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Or Cabasso
- Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel; (O.C.); (A.K.)
| | - Aparna Kuppuramalingam
- Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel; (O.C.); (A.K.)
| | - Lindsey Lelieveld
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, 9502 Leiden, The Netherlands; (L.L.); (M.V.d.L.); (R.B.)
| | - Martijn Van der Lienden
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, 9502 Leiden, The Netherlands; (L.L.); (M.V.d.L.); (R.B.)
| | - Rolf Boot
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, 9502 Leiden, The Netherlands; (L.L.); (M.V.d.L.); (R.B.)
| | - Johannes M. Aerts
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, 9502 Leiden, The Netherlands; (L.L.); (M.V.d.L.); (R.B.)
| | - Mia Horowitz
- Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel; (O.C.); (A.K.)
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5
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Steinmetz EL, Noh S, Klöppel C, Fuhr MF, Bach N, Raffael ME, Hildebrandt K, Wittling F, Jann D, Walldorf U. Generation of Mutants from the 57B Region of Drosophila melanogaster. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:2047. [PMID: 38002990 PMCID: PMC10671637 DOI: 10.3390/genes14112047] [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: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The 57B region of Drosophila melanogaster includes a cluster of the three homeobox genes orthopedia (otp), Drosophila Retinal homeobox (DRx), and homeobrain (hbn). In an attempt to isolate mutants for these genes, we performed an EMS mutagenesis and isolated lethal mutants from the 57B region, among them mutants for otp, DRx, and hbn. With the help of two newly generated deletions from the 57B region, we mapped additional mutants to specific chromosomal intervals and identified several of these mutants from the 57B region molecularly. In addition, we generated mutants for CG15651 and RIC-3 by gene targeting and mutants for the genes CG9344, CG15649, CG15650, and ND-B14.7 using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. We determined the lethality period during development for most isolated mutants. In total, we analysed alleles from nine different genes from the 57B region of Drosophila, which could now be used to further explore the functions of the corresponding genes in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Louise Steinmetz
- Developmental Biology, ZHMB (Center of Human and Molecular Biology), Saarland University, Building 61, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
- Zoology & Physiology, ZHMB (Center of Human and Molecular Biology), Saarland University, Building B2.1, D-66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Sandra Noh
- Developmental Biology, ZHMB (Center of Human and Molecular Biology), Saarland University, Building 61, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Christine Klöppel
- Developmental Biology, ZHMB (Center of Human and Molecular Biology), Saarland University, Building 61, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Martin F. Fuhr
- Developmental Biology, ZHMB (Center of Human and Molecular Biology), Saarland University, Building 61, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Nicole Bach
- Developmental Biology, ZHMB (Center of Human and Molecular Biology), Saarland University, Building 61, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Mona Evelyn Raffael
- Developmental Biology, ZHMB (Center of Human and Molecular Biology), Saarland University, Building 61, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Kirsten Hildebrandt
- Developmental Biology, ZHMB (Center of Human and Molecular Biology), Saarland University, Building 61, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Fabienne Wittling
- Developmental Biology, ZHMB (Center of Human and Molecular Biology), Saarland University, Building 61, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Saarland University, Building E8.1, D-66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Doris Jann
- Developmental Biology, ZHMB (Center of Human and Molecular Biology), Saarland University, Building 61, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
- Medical Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, ZHMB (Center of Human and Molecular Biology), Saarland University, Building 45.2, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Uwe Walldorf
- Developmental Biology, ZHMB (Center of Human and Molecular Biology), Saarland University, Building 61, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
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Doll RM, Boutros M, Port F. A temperature-tolerant CRISPR base editor mediates highly efficient and precise gene editing in Drosophila. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadj1568. [PMID: 37647411 PMCID: PMC10468138 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj1568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
CRISPR nucleases generate a broad spectrum of mutations that includes undesired editing outcomes. Here, we develop optimized C-to-T base editing systems for the generation of precise loss- or gain-of-function alleles in Drosophila and identify temperature as a crucial parameter for efficiency. We find that a variant of the widely used APOBEC1 deaminase has attenuated activity at 18° to 29°C and shows considerable dose-dependent toxicity. In contrast, the temperature-tolerant evoCDA1 domain mediates editing of typically more than 90% of alleles and is substantially better tolerated. Furthermore, formation of undesired mutations is exceptionally rare in Drosophila compared to other species. The predictable editing outcome, high efficiency, and product purity enables near homogeneous induction of STOP codons or alleles encoding protein variants in vivo. Last, we demonstrate how optimized expression enables conditional base editing in marked cell populations. This work substantially facilitates creation of precise alleles in Drosophila and provides key design parameters for developing efficient base editing systems in other ectothermic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman M. Doll
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division of Signaling and Functional Genomics and BioQuant & Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Molecular Biosciences/Cancer Biology Program, Heidelberg University and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Boutros
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division of Signaling and Functional Genomics and BioQuant & Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Fillip Port
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division of Signaling and Functional Genomics and BioQuant & Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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7
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Morón-Oset J, Fischer LKS, Jauré N, Zhang P, Jahn AJ, Supèr T, Pahl A, Isaacs AM, Grönke S, Partridge L. Repeat length of C9orf72-associated glycine-alanine polypeptides affects their toxicity. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:140. [PMID: 37644512 PMCID: PMC10463776 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01634-6] [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: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
G4C2 hexanucleotide repeat expansions in a non-coding region of the C9orf72 gene are the most common cause of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). G4C2 insertion length is variable, and patients can carry up to several thousand repeats. Dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs) translated from G4C2 transcripts are thought to be a main driver of toxicity. Experiments in model organisms with relatively short DPRs have shown that arginine-rich DPRs are most toxic, while polyGlycine-Alanine (GA) DPRs cause only mild toxicity. However, GA is the most abundant DPR in patient brains, and experimental work in animals has generally relied on the use of low numbers of repeats, with DPRs often tagged for in vivo tracking. Whether repeat length or tagging affect the toxicity of GA has not been systematically assessed. Therefore, we generated Drosophila fly lines expressing GA100, GA200 or GA400 specifically in adult neurons. Consistent with previous studies, expression of GA100 and GA200 caused only mild toxicity. In contrast, neuronal expression of GA400 drastically reduced climbing ability and survival of flies, indicating that long GA DPRs can be highly toxic in vivo. This toxicity could be abolished by tagging GA400. Proteomics analysis of fly brains showed a repeat-length-dependent modulation of the brain proteome, with GA400 causing earlier and stronger changes than shorter GA proteins. PolyGA expression up-regulated proteins involved in ER to Golgi trafficking, and down-regulated proteins involved in insulin signalling. Experimental down-regulation of Tango1, a highly conserved regulator of ER-to Golgi transport, partially rescued GA400 toxicity, suggesting that misregulation of this process contributes to polyGA toxicity. Experimentally increasing insulin signaling also rescued GA toxicity. In summary, our data show that long polyGA proteins can be highly toxic in vivo, and that they may therefore contribute to ALS/FTD pathogenesis in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Morón-Oset
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 9B, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Nathalie Jauré
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 9B, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Pingze Zhang
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 9B, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Annika Julia Jahn
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 9B, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Tessa Supèr
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 9B, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - André Pahl
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 9B, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Adrian M Isaacs
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Sebastian Grönke
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 9B, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
| | - Linda Partridge
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 9B, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
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8
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Li H, Berent E, Hadjipanteli S, Galey M, Muhammad-Lahbabi N, Miller DE, Crown KN. Heterozygous inversion breakpoints suppress meiotic crossovers by altering recombination repair outcomes. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010702. [PMID: 37053290 PMCID: PMC10128924 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Heterozygous chromosome inversions suppress meiotic crossover (CO) formation within an inversion, potentially because they lead to gross chromosome rearrangements that produce inviable gametes. Interestingly, COs are also severely reduced in regions nearby but outside of inversion breakpoints even though COs in these regions do not result in rearrangements. Our mechanistic understanding of why COs are suppressed outside of inversion breakpoints is limited by a lack of data on the frequency of noncrossover gene conversions (NCOGCs) in these regions. To address this critical gap, we mapped the location and frequency of rare CO and NCOGC events that occurred outside of the dl-49 chrX inversion in D. melanogaster. We created full-sibling wildtype and inversion stocks and recovered COs and NCOGCs in the syntenic regions of both stocks, allowing us to directly compare rates and distributions of recombination events. We show that COs outside of the proximal inversion breakpoint are distributed in a distance-dependent manner, with strongest suppression near the inversion breakpoint. We find that NCOGCs occur evenly throughout the chromosome and, importantly, are not suppressed near inversion breakpoints. We propose a model in which COs are suppressed by inversion breakpoints in a distance-dependent manner through mechanisms that influence DNA double-strand break repair outcome but not double-strand break formation. We suggest that subtle changes in the synaptonemal complex and chromosome pairing might lead to unstable interhomolog interactions during recombination that permits NCOGC formation but not CO formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haosheng Li
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Erica Berent
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Savannah Hadjipanteli
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Miranda Galey
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Nigel Muhammad-Lahbabi
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Danny E Miller
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - K Nicole Crown
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
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Mele S, Martelli F, Lin J, Kanca O, Christodoulou J, Bellen HJ, Piper MDW, Johnson TK. Drosophila as a diet discovery tool for treating amino acid disorders. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2023; 34:85-105. [PMID: 36567227 DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2022.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Amino acid disorders (AADs) are a large group of rare inherited conditions that collectively impact one in 6500 live births, often resulting in rapid neurological decline and death during infancy. For several AADs, including phenylketonuria, dietary modification prevents physiological deterioration and ameliorates symptoms. Despite this remarkable potential for treatment success, dietary therapy for most AADs remains largely unexplored. Although animal models have provided novel insights into AAD mechanisms, few have been used for therapeutic diet discovery. Here, we find that of all the animal models, Drosophila is particularly well suited for nutrigenomic disease modelling, having amino acid pathways conserved with humans, exceptional genetic tractability, and the unique availability of a synthetic customisable diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Mele
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Felipe Martelli
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Jiayi Lin
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Oguz Kanca
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - John Christodoulou
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Matthew D W Piper
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
| | - Travis K Johnson
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
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10
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Kietz C, Meinander A. Drosophila caspases as guardians of host-microbe interactions. Cell Death Differ 2023; 30:227-236. [PMID: 35810247 PMCID: PMC9950452 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-022-01038-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
An intact cell death machinery is not only crucial for successful embryonic development and tissue homeostasis, but participates also in the defence against pathogens and contributes to a balanced immune response. Centrally involved in the regulation of both cell death and inflammatory immune responses is the evolutionarily conserved family of cysteine proteases named caspases. The Drosophila melanogaster genome encodes for seven caspases, several of which display dual functions, participating in apoptotic signalling and beyond. Among the Drosophila caspases, the caspase-8 homologue Dredd has a well-characterised role in inflammatory signalling activated by bacterial infections, and functions as a driver of NF-κB-mediated immune responses. Regarding the other Drosophila caspases, studies focusing on tissue-specific immune signalling and host-microbe interactions have recently revealed immunoregulatory functions of the initiator caspase Dronc and the effector caspase Drice. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the signalling cascades involved in the Drosophila humoral innate immune response against pathogens and of their caspase-mediated regulation. Furthermore, the apoptotic role of caspases during antibacterial and antiviral immune activation will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christa Kietz
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Cell Biology, Åbo Akademi University, BioCity, Turku, Finland
| | - Annika Meinander
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Cell Biology, Åbo Akademi University, BioCity, Turku, Finland.
- InFLAMES Research Flagship Center, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland.
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11
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Frankham R. Effects of genomic homozygosity on total fitness in an invertebrate: lethal equivalent estimates for Drosophila melanogaster. CONSERV GENET 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-022-01493-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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12
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Trajković J, Makevic V, Pesic M, Pavković-Lučić S, Milojevic S, Cvjetkovic S, Hagerman R, Budimirovic DB, Protic D. Drosophila melanogaster as a Model to Study Fragile X-Associated Disorders. Genes (Basel) 2022; 14:genes14010087. [PMID: 36672829 PMCID: PMC9859539 DOI: 10.3390/genes14010087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a global neurodevelopmental disorder caused by the expansion of CGG trinucleotide repeats (≥200) in the Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1 (FMR1) gene. FXS is the hallmark of Fragile X-associated disorders (FXD) and the most common monogenic cause of inherited intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. There are several animal models used to study FXS. In the FXS model of Drosophila, the only ortholog of FMR1, dfmr1, is mutated so that its protein is missing. This model has several relevant phenotypes, including defects in the circadian output pathway, sleep problems, memory deficits in the conditioned courtship and olfactory conditioning paradigms, deficits in social interaction, and deficits in neuronal development. In addition to FXS, a model of another FXD, Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), has also been established in Drosophila. This review summarizes many years of research on FXD in Drosophila models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelena Trajković
- Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Vedrana Makevic
- Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Milica Pesic
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | | | - Sara Milojevic
- Department of Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Smiljana Cvjetkovic
- Department of Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Randi Hagerman
- Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute, University of California Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Dejan B. Budimirovic
- Department of Psychiatry, Fragile X Clinic, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences-Child Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Dragana Protic
- Department of Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
- Correspondence:
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13
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Saccone G. A history of the genetic and molecular identification of genes and their functions controlling insect sex determination. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 151:103873. [PMID: 36400424 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The genetics of the sex determination regulatory cascade in Drosophila melanogaster has a fascinating history, interlinked with the foundation of the Genetics discipline itself. The discovery that alternative splicing rather than differential transcription is the molecular mechanism underlying the upstream control of sex differences in the Drosophila model system was surprising. This notion is now fully integrated into the scientific canon, appearing in many genetics textbooks and online education resources. In the last three decades, it was a key reference point for starting evolutionary studies in other insect species by using homology-based approaches. This review will introduce a very brief history of Drosophila genetics. It will describe the genetic and molecular approaches applied for the identifying and cloning key genes involved in sex determination in Drosophila and in many other insect species. These comparative analyses led to supporting the idea that sex-determining pathways have evolved mainly by recruiting different upstream signals/genes while maintaining widely conserved intermediate and downstream regulatory genes. The review also provides examples of the link between technological advances and research achievements, to stimulate reflections on how science is produced. It aims to hopefully strengthen the related historical and conceptual knowledge of general readers of other disciplines and of younger geneticists, often focused on the latest technical-molecular approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Saccone
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126, Naples, Italy.
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14
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Wang Y, Du T, Li A, Qiao L, Zhang Z, Sun W. Establishment and application of a silkworm CRISPR/Cas9 tool for conditionally manipulating gene disruption in the epidermis. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 151:103861. [PMID: 36332793 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Spatial or temporal specific gene knockout system is a valuable tool for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying developmental processes. The integument is essential for insect fitness and survival, but tools for dissecting function of genes in this tissue are lacking. In this study, we firstly identified an epidermis specifically expressed gene of the domesticated silkworm, BmCPG25, by comparative transcriptomic analysis. Furthermore, a transgenic silkworm expressing the RNA dependent CRISPR-Cas9 protein driven by the regulatory region of the BmCPG25 was established. Immunochemistry analysis showed the endonuclease was specifically expressed in the nuclear of epidermal cells. We also validated the efficiency of this system by disrupting the function of an epidermis specifically expressed cuticular protein gene (Cpr21) and a ubiquitously expressed cuticular gene (Cph18), respectively. In summary, we successfully constructed a conditional knockout toolkit to manipulate the gene editing in epidermal cells, which provides a valuable approach to study the molecular mechanism of integument development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Wang
- Laboratory of Evolutionary and Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Tianyi Du
- Laboratory of Evolutionary and Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Ainan Li
- Laboratory of Evolutionary and Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Liang Qiao
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Vector Insects, Institute of Entomology and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Ze Zhang
- Laboratory of Evolutionary and Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
| | - Wei Sun
- Laboratory of Evolutionary and Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
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15
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Waring AL, Hill J, Allen BM, Bretz NM, Le N, Kr P, Fuss D, Mortimer NT. Meta-Analysis of Immune Induced Gene Expression Changes in Diverse Drosophila melanogaster Innate Immune Responses. INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13050490. [PMID: 35621824 PMCID: PMC9147463 DOI: 10.3390/insects13050490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Organisms can be infected by a wide range of pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Following infection, the host mounts an immune response to attempt to eliminate the pathogen. These responses are often specific to the type of pathogen and mediated by the expression of specialized genes. We have characterized the expression changes induced in host Drosophila fruit flies following infection by multiple types of pathogens, and identified a small number of genes that show expression changes in each infection. This includes genes that are known to be involved in pathogen resistance, and others that have not been previously studied as immune response genes. These findings provide new insight into transcriptional changes that accompany Drosophila immunity. They may suggest possible roles for the differentially expressed genes in innate immune responses to diverse classes of pathogens, and serve to identify candidate genes for further empirical study of these processes. Abstract Organisms are commonly infected by a diverse array of pathogens and mount functionally distinct responses to each of these varied immune challenges. Host immune responses are characterized by the induction of gene expression, however, the extent to which expression changes are shared among responses to distinct pathogens is largely unknown. To examine this, we performed meta-analysis of gene expression data collected from Drosophila melanogaster following infection with a wide array of pathogens. We identified 62 genes that are significantly induced by infection. While many of these infection-induced genes encode known immune response factors, we also identified 21 genes that have not been previously associated with host immunity. Examination of the upstream flanking sequences of the infection-induced genes lead to the identification of two conserved enhancer sites. These sites correspond to conserved binding sites for GATA and nuclear factor κB (NFκB) family transcription factors and are associated with higher levels of transcript induction. We further identified 31 genes with predicted functions in metabolism and organismal development that are significantly downregulated following infection by diverse pathogens. Our study identifies conserved gene expression changes in Drosophila melanogaster following infection with varied pathogens, and transcription factor families that may regulate this immune induction.
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16
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Stern DL. Transgenic tools for targeted chromosome rearrangements allow construction of balancer chromosomes in non- melanogaster Drosophila species. G3 GENES|GENOMES|GENETICS 2022; 12:6526388. [PMID: 35143616 PMCID: PMC8982376 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Perhaps the most valuable single set of resources for genetic studies of Drosophila melanogaster is the collection of multiply inverted chromosomes commonly known as balancer chromosomes. Balancers prevent the recovery of recombination exchange products within genomic regions included in inversions and allow perpetual maintenance of deleterious alleles in living stocks and the execution of complex genetic crosses. Balancer chromosomes have been generated traditionally by exposing animals to ionizing radiation and screening for altered chromosome structure or for unusual marker segregation patterns. These approaches are tedious and unpredictable, and have failed to produce the desired products in some species. Here, I describe transgenic tools that allow targeted chromosome rearrangements in Drosophila species. The key new resources are engineered reporter genes containing introns with yeast recombination sites and enhancers that drive fluorescent reporter genes in multiple body regions. These tools were used to generate a doubly inverted chromosome 3R in Drosophila simulans that serves as an effective balancer chromosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L Stern
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
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17
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Aspatwar A, Tolvanen MEE, Barker H, Syrjänen L, Valanne S, Purmonen S, Waheed A, Sly WS, Parkkila S. Carbonic Anhydrases in Metazoan Model Organisms: Molecules, Mechanisms, and Physiology. Physiol Rev 2022; 102:1327-1383. [PMID: 35166161 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00018.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
During the past three decades, mice, zebrafish, fruit flies, and Caenorhabditis elegans have been the primary model organisms used for the study of various biological phenomena. These models have also been adopted and developed to investigate the physiological roles of carbonic anhydrases (CAs) and carbonic anhydrase-related proteins (CARPs). These proteins belong to eight CA families and are identified by Greek letters: α, β, γ, δ, ζ, η, θ, and ι. Studies using model organisms have focused on two CA families, α-CAs and β-CAs, which are expressed in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms with species-specific distribution patterns and unique functions. This review covers the biological roles of CAs and CARPs in light of investigations performed in model organisms. Functional studies demonstrate that CAs are not only linked to the regulation of pH homeostasis, the classical role of CAs but also contribute to a plethora of previously undescribed functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashok Aspatwar
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | | | - Harlan Barker
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.,Fimlab Ltd and TAYS Cancer Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Leo Syrjänen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Susanna Valanne
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Sami Purmonen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Abdul Waheed
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Edward A. Doisy Research Center, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - William S Sly
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Edward A. Doisy Research Center, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Seppo Parkkila
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.,Fimlab Ltd and TAYS Cancer Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
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18
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López-Varea A, Vega-Cuesta P, Ruiz-Gómez A, Ostalé CM, Molnar C, Hevia CF, Martín M, Organista MF, de Celis J, Culí J, Esteban N, de Celis JF. Genome-wide phenotypic RNAi screen in the Drosophila wing: phenotypic description of functional classes. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2021; 11:6380434. [PMID: 34599810 PMCID: PMC8664486 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The Drosophila genome contains approximately 14,000 protein-coding genes encoding all the necessary information to sustain cellular physiology, tissue organization, organism development, and behavior. In this manuscript, we describe in some detail the phenotypes in the adult fly wing generated after knockdown of approximately 80% of Drosophila genes. We combined this phenotypic description with a comprehensive molecular classification of the Drosophila proteins into classes that summarize the main expected or known biochemical/functional aspect of each protein. This information, combined with mRNA expression levels and in situ expression patterns, provides a simplified atlas of the Drosophila genome, from housekeeping proteins to the components of the signaling pathways directing wing development, that might help to further understand the contribution of each gene group to wing formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana López-Varea
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa," CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Patricia Vega-Cuesta
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa," CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Ana Ruiz-Gómez
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa," CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Cristina M Ostalé
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa," CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Cristina Molnar
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa," CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain.,IRB Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Covadonga F Hevia
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa," CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Mercedes Martín
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa," CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Maria F Organista
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa," CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Jesus de Celis
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa," CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Joaquín Culí
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa," CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Nuria Esteban
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa," CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Jose F de Celis
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa," CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain
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19
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Marr E, Potter CJ. Base Editing of Somatic Cells Using CRISPR-Cas9 in Drosophila. CRISPR J 2021; 4:836-845. [PMID: 34813372 PMCID: PMC8744452 DOI: 10.1089/crispr.2021.0062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cas9 and a guide RNA (gRNA) function to target specific genomic loci for generation of a double-stranded break. Catalytic dead versions of Cas9 (dCas9) no longer cause double-stranded breaks and instead can serve as molecular scaffolds to target additional enzymatic proteins to specific genomic loci. To generate mutations in selected genomic residues, dCas9 can be used for genomic base editing by fusing a cytidine deaminase (CD) to induce C > T (or G>A) mutations at targeted sites. In this study, we test base editing in Drosophila by expressing a transgenic Drosophila base editor (based on the mammalian BE2) that consists of a fusion protein of CD, dCas9, and uracil glycosylase inhibitor. We utilized transgenic lines expressing gRNAs along with pan-tissue expression of the Drosophila base editor (Actin5C-BE2) and found high rates of base editing at multiple targeted loci in the 20 bp target sequence. Highest rates of conversion of C > T were found in positions 3-9 of the gRNA-targeted site, with conversion reaching ∼100% of targeted DNA in somatic tissues. Surprisingly, the simultaneous use of two gRNAs targeting a genomic region spaced ∼50 bp apart led to mutations between the two gRNA targets, implicating a method to broaden the available sites accessible to targeting. These results indicate base editing is efficient in Drosophila, and could be used to induce point mutations at select loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Marr
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Christopher J. Potter
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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20
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Chen J, Luo J, Gurav AS, Chen Z, Wang Y, Montell C. A DREaMR system to simplify combining mutations with rescue transgenes in Aedes aegypti. Genetics 2021; 219:6368066. [PMID: 34740249 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab146] [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: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In most experimental animals, it is challenging to combine mutations and rescue transgenes and to use bipartite systems to assess gene expression. To circumvent the difficulties in combining multiple genetic elements, we developed the DREaMR (Drug-on, REporter, Mutant, Rescue) system. Using Drosophila white as the initial model, we demonstrated that introduction of a single insertion by CRISPR/Cas9 created a null mutation, a tagged rescue construct, which could be induced with doxycycline, and which allowed assessment of protein expression. To create a DREaMR in an organism in which combining multiple genetic elements is more problematic than in Drosophila, we tested the mosquito, Aedes aegypti-the insect vector for dengue, yellow fever, Zika, and other viral diseases. We generated a DREaMR allele in the kh gene, which permitted us to induce expression of the rescue construct, and detect expression of Kh. Thus, this system avoids the need to perform genetic crosses to introduce an inducible rescue transgene in a mutant background, or to combine driver and reporter lines to examine expression of the targeted protein. We propose that DREaMR provides a system that can be applied to additional mosquito vectors as well as other organisms in which CRISPR/Cas9 is effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jieyan Chen
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and the Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Junjie Luo
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and the Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Adishthi S Gurav
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and the Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Zijing Chen
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and the Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | | | - Craig Montell
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and the Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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21
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Campos TL, Korhonen PK, Young ND. Cross-Predicting Essential Genes between Two Model Eukaryotic Species Using Machine Learning. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:5056. [PMID: 34064595 PMCID: PMC8150380 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22105056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental studies of Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster have contributed substantially to our understanding of molecular and cellular processes in metazoans at large. Since the publication of their genomes, functional genomic investigations have identified genes that are essential or non-essential for survival in each species. Recently, a range of features linked to gene essentiality have been inferred using a machine learning (ML)-based approach, allowing essentiality predictions within a species. Nevertheless, predictions between species are still elusive. Here, we undertake a comprehensive study using ML to discover and validate features of essential genes common to both C. elegans and D. melanogaster. We demonstrate that the cross-species prediction of gene essentiality is possible using a subset of features linked to nucleotide/protein sequences, protein orthology and subcellular localisation, single-cell RNA-seq, and histone methylation markers. Complementary analyses showed that essential genes are enriched for transcription and translation functions and are preferentially located away from heterochromatin regions of C. elegans and D. melanogaster chromosomes. The present work should enable the cross-prediction of essential genes between model and non-model metazoans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tulio L. Campos
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; (T.L.C.); (P.K.K.)
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, Instituto Aggeu Magalhães, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (IAM-Fiocruz), Recife 50740-465, PE, Brazil
| | - Pasi K. Korhonen
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; (T.L.C.); (P.K.K.)
| | - Neil D. Young
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; (T.L.C.); (P.K.K.)
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22
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Martín-Sánchez M, Bravo-Gil N, González-del Pozo M, Méndez-Vidal C, Fernández-Suárez E, Rodríguez-de la Rúa E, Borrego S, Antiñolo G. A Multi-Strategy Sequencing Workflow in Inherited Retinal Dystrophies: Routine Diagnosis, Addressing Unsolved Cases and Candidate Genes Identification. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E9355. [PMID: 33302505 PMCID: PMC7763277 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The management of unsolved inherited retinal dystrophies (IRD) cases is challenging since no standard pipelines have been established. This study aimed to define a diagnostic algorithm useful for the diagnostic routine and to address unsolved cases. Here, we applied a Next-Generation Sequencing-based workflow, including a first step of panel sequencing (PS) followed by clinical-exome sequencing (CES) and whole-exome sequencing (WES), in 46 IRD patients belonging to 42 families. Twenty-six likely causal variants in retinal genes were found by PS and CES. CES and WES allowed proposing two novel candidate loci (WDFY3 and a X-linked region including CITED1), both abundantly expressed in human retina according to RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. After comparison studies, PS showed the best quality and cost values, CES and WES involved similar analytical efforts and WES presented the highest diagnostic yield. These results reinforce the relevance of panels as a first step in the diagnostic routine and suggest WES as the next strategy for unsolved cases, reserving CES for the simultaneous study of multiple conditions. Standardizing this algorithm would enhance the efficiency and equity of clinical genetics practice. Furthermore, the identified candidate genes could contribute to increase the diagnostic yield and expand the mutational spectrum in these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Martín-Sánchez
- Department of Maternofetal Medicine, Genetics and Reproduction, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, University Hospital Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain; (M.M.-S.); (N.B.-G.); (M.G.-d.P.); (C.M.-V.); (E.F.-S.); (S.B.)
| | - Nereida Bravo-Gil
- Department of Maternofetal Medicine, Genetics and Reproduction, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, University Hospital Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain; (M.M.-S.); (N.B.-G.); (M.G.-d.P.); (C.M.-V.); (E.F.-S.); (S.B.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), 41013 Seville, Spain
| | - María González-del Pozo
- Department of Maternofetal Medicine, Genetics and Reproduction, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, University Hospital Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain; (M.M.-S.); (N.B.-G.); (M.G.-d.P.); (C.M.-V.); (E.F.-S.); (S.B.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), 41013 Seville, Spain
| | - Cristina Méndez-Vidal
- Department of Maternofetal Medicine, Genetics and Reproduction, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, University Hospital Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain; (M.M.-S.); (N.B.-G.); (M.G.-d.P.); (C.M.-V.); (E.F.-S.); (S.B.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), 41013 Seville, Spain
| | - Elena Fernández-Suárez
- Department of Maternofetal Medicine, Genetics and Reproduction, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, University Hospital Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain; (M.M.-S.); (N.B.-G.); (M.G.-d.P.); (C.M.-V.); (E.F.-S.); (S.B.)
| | - Enrique Rodríguez-de la Rúa
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Virgen Macarena, 41013 Seville, Spain;
- Retics Patologia Ocular, OFTARED, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Salud Borrego
- Department of Maternofetal Medicine, Genetics and Reproduction, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, University Hospital Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain; (M.M.-S.); (N.B.-G.); (M.G.-d.P.); (C.M.-V.); (E.F.-S.); (S.B.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), 41013 Seville, Spain
| | - Guillermo Antiñolo
- Department of Maternofetal Medicine, Genetics and Reproduction, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, University Hospital Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain; (M.M.-S.); (N.B.-G.); (M.G.-d.P.); (C.M.-V.); (E.F.-S.); (S.B.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), 41013 Seville, Spain
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23
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A cross-eyed geneticist’s view VI. Segregation distortion in Drosophila melanogaster: Recent progress in solving ‘an esoteric puzzle’. J Biosci 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s12038-020-00110-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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24
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Ewen-Campen B, Perrimon N. Expanding the horizons of genome editing in the fruit fly with Cas12a. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:24019-24021. [PMID: 32883881 PMCID: PMC7533843 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2016446117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ben Ewen-Campen
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115;
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA 02115
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25
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Port F, Starostecka M, Boutros M. Multiplexed conditional genome editing with Cas12a in Drosophila. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:22890-22899. [PMID: 32843348 PMCID: PMC7502738 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2004655117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas genome engineering has revolutionized biomedical research by enabling targeted genome modification with unprecedented ease. In the popular model organism Drosophila melanogaster, gene editing has so far relied exclusively on the prototypical CRISPR nuclease Cas9. Additional CRISPR systems could expand the genomic target space, offer additional modes of regulation, and enable the independent manipulation of genes in different cells of the same animal. Here we describe a platform for efficient Cas12a gene editing in Drosophila We show that Cas12a from Lachnospiraceae bacterium, but not Acidaminococcus spec., can mediate robust gene editing in vivo. In combination with most CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs), LbCas12a activity is high at 29 °C, but low at 18 °C, enabling modulation of gene editing by temperature. LbCas12a can directly utilize compact crRNA arrays that are substantially easier to construct than Cas9 single-guide RNA arrays, facilitating multiplex genome engineering. Furthermore, we show that conditional expression of LbCas12a is sufficient to mediate tightly controlled gene editing in a variety of tissues, allowing detailed analysis of gene function in a multicellular organism. We also test a variant of LbCas12a with a D156R point mutation and show that it has substantially higher activity and outperforms a state-of-the-art Cas9 system in identifying essential genes. Cas12a gene editing expands the genome-engineering toolbox in Drosophila and will be a powerful method for the functional annotation of the genome. This work also presents a fully genetically encoded Cas12a system in an animal, laying out principles for the development of similar systems in other genetically tractable organisms for multiplexed conditional genome engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fillip Port
- Division Signaling and Functional Genomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Department for Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Maja Starostecka
- Division Signaling and Functional Genomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Department for Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Boutros
- Division Signaling and Functional Genomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Department for Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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A fly model establishes distinct mechanisms for synthetic CRISPR/Cas9 sex distorters. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1008647. [PMID: 32168334 PMCID: PMC7108745 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Synthetic sex distorters have recently been developed in the malaria mosquito, relying on endonucleases that target the X-chromosome during spermatogenesis. Although inspired by naturally-occurring traits, it has remained unclear how they function and, given their potential for genetic control, how portable this strategy is across species. We established Drosophila models for two distinct mechanisms for CRISPR/Cas9 sex-ratio distortion—“X-shredding” and “X-poisoning”—and dissected their target-site requirements and repair dynamics. X-shredding resulted in sex distortion when Cas9 endonuclease activity occurred during the meiotic stages of spermatogenesis but not when Cas9 was expressed from the stem cell stages onwards. Our results suggest that X-shredding is counteracted by the NHEJ DNA repair pathway and can operate on a single repeat cluster of non-essential sequences, although the targeting of a number of such repeats had no effect on the sex ratio. X-poisoning by contrast, i.e. targeting putative haplolethal genes on the X chromosome, induced a high bias towards males (>92%) when we directed Cas9 cleavage to the X-linked ribosomal target gene RpS6. In the case of X-poisoning sex distortion was coupled to a loss in reproductive output, although a dominant-negative effect appeared to drive the mechanism of female lethality. These model systems will guide the study and the application of sex distorters to medically or agriculturally important insect target species. Harmful insect populations can be eliminated for a lack of females if they are made to produce mostly male offspring. There are genes that occur naturally that make males produce mostly sons and, although we don’t know exactly how they work, this appears to coincide with damage to the X-chromosome during the production of sperm. Recently, we showed in a mosquito species that such sex-biasing genes could also be constructed artificially from first principles. To better understand if this works in other species too, we designed and built male-biasing genes of two types in the fruit fly and determined what is needed to for a shift towards males. We show how different ways of cutting the X-chromosome DNA at different times with CRISPR, results in distinct outcomes and started to ask what cellular processes are involved in this. These models will help us to design such genes for the control of insect species that transmit disease or threaten crops.
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Anton S, Gadenne C, Marion-Poll F. Frontiers in Invertebrate Physiology-An Update to the Grand Challenge. Front Physiol 2020; 11:186. [PMID: 32184737 PMCID: PMC7058698 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Anton
- UMR IGEPP INRA, Agrocampus Ouest, Université Rennes 1, Angers, France
| | | | - Frédéric Marion-Poll
- Evolution, Génomes, Comportement, Ecologie, CNRS, IRD, Univ Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Paris, France
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Rahit KMTH, Tarailo-Graovac M. Genetic Modifiers and Rare Mendelian Disease. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:E239. [PMID: 32106447 PMCID: PMC7140819 DOI: 10.3390/genes11030239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite advances in high-throughput sequencing that have revolutionized the discovery of gene defects in rare Mendelian diseases, there are still gaps in translating individual genome variation to observed phenotypic outcomes. While we continue to improve genomics approaches to identify primary disease-causing variants, it is evident that no genetic variant acts alone. In other words, some other variants in the genome (genetic modifiers) may alleviate (suppress) or exacerbate (enhance) the severity of the disease, resulting in the variability of phenotypic outcomes. Thus, to truly understand the disease, we need to consider how the disease-causing variants interact with the rest of the genome in an individual. Here, we review the current state-of-the-field in the identification of genetic modifiers in rare Mendelian diseases and discuss the potential for future approaches that could bridge the existing gap.
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Affiliation(s)
- K. M. Tahsin Hassan Rahit
- Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada;
- Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Maja Tarailo-Graovac
- Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada;
- Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
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Port F, Strein C, Stricker M, Rauscher B, Heigwer F, Zhou J, Beyersdörffer C, Frei J, Hess A, Kern K, Lange L, Langner N, Malamud R, Pavlović B, Rädecke K, Schmitt L, Voos L, Valentini E, Boutros M. A large-scale resource for tissue-specific CRISPR mutagenesis in Drosophila. eLife 2020; 9:e53865. [PMID: 32053108 PMCID: PMC7062466 DOI: 10.7554/elife.53865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic screens are powerful tools for the functional annotation of genomes. In the context of multicellular organisms, interrogation of gene function is greatly facilitated by methods that allow spatial and temporal control of gene abrogation. Here, we describe a large-scale transgenic short guide (sg) RNA library for efficient CRISPR-based disruption of specific target genes in a constitutive or conditional manner. The library consists currently of more than 2600 plasmids and 1700 fly lines with a focus on targeting kinases, phosphatases and transcription factors, each expressing two sgRNAs under control of the Gal4/UAS system. We show that conditional CRISPR mutagenesis is robust across many target genes and can be efficiently employed in various somatic tissues, as well as the germline. In order to prevent artefacts commonly associated with excessive amounts of Cas9 protein, we have developed a series of novel UAS-Cas9 transgenes, which allow fine tuning of Cas9 expression to achieve high gene editing activity without detectable toxicity. Functional assays, as well as direct sequencing of genomic sgRNA target sites, indicates that the vast majority of transgenic sgRNA lines mediate efficient gene disruption. Furthermore, we conducted the so far largest fully transgenic CRISPR screen in any metazoan organism, which further supported the high efficiency and accuracy of our library and revealed many so far uncharacterized genes essential for development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fillip Port
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Claudia Strein
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Mona Stricker
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Benedikt Rauscher
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Florian Heigwer
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Jun Zhou
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Celine Beyersdörffer
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Jana Frei
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Amy Hess
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Katharina Kern
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Laura Lange
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Nora Langner
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Roberta Malamud
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Bojana Pavlović
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Kristin Rädecke
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Lukas Schmitt
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Lukas Voos
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Erica Valentini
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Michael Boutros
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Division Signaling and Functional Genomics and Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
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Genetics in the Honey Bee: Achievements and Prospects toward the Functional Analysis of Molecular and Neural Mechanisms Underlying Social Behaviors. INSECTS 2019; 10:insects10100348. [PMID: 31623209 PMCID: PMC6835989 DOI: 10.3390/insects10100348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 10/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The European honey bee is a model organism for studying social behaviors. Comprehensive analyses focusing on the differential expression profiles of genes between the brains of nurse bees and foragers, or in the mushroom bodies—the brain structure related to learning and memory, and multimodal sensory integration—has identified candidate genes related to honey bee behaviors. Despite accumulating knowledge on the expression profiles of genes related to honey bee behaviors, it remains unclear whether these genes actually regulate social behaviors in the honey bee, in part because of the scarcity of genetic manipulation methods available for application to the honey bee. In this review, we describe the genetic methods applied to studies of the honey bee, ranging from classical forward genetics to recently developed gene modification methods using transposon and CRISPR/Cas9. We then discuss future functional analyses using these genetic methods targeting genes identified by the preceding research. Because no particular genes or neurons unique to social insects have been found yet, further exploration of candidate genes/neurons correlated with sociality through comprehensive analyses of mushroom bodies in the aculeate species can provide intriguing targets for functional analyses, as well as insight into the molecular and neural bases underlying social behaviors.
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Abstract
Cancer is a cumulative manifestation of several complicated disease states that affect multiple organs. Over the last few decades, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, has become a successful model for studying human cancers. The genetic simplicity and vast arsenal of genetic tools available in Drosophila provides a unique opportunity to address questions regarding cancer initiation and progression that would be extremely challenging in other model systems. In this chapter we provide a historical overview of Drosophila as a model organism for cancer research, summarize the multitude of genetic tools available, offer a brief comparison between different model organisms and cell culture platforms used in cancer studies and briefly discuss some of the latest models and concepts in recent Drosophila cancer research.
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Lehmann M, Knust E, Hebbar S. Drosophila melanogaster: A Valuable Genetic Model Organism to Elucidate the Biology of Retinitis Pigmentosa. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 1834:221-249. [PMID: 30324448 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8669-9_16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a complex inherited disease. It is associated with mutations in a wide variety of genes with many different functions. These mutations impact the integrity of rod photoreceptors and ultimately result in the progressive degeneration of rods and cone photoreceptors in the retina, leading to complete blindness. A hallmark of this disease is the variable degree to which symptoms are manifest in patients. This is indicative of the influence of the environment, and/or of the distinct genetic makeup of the individual.The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has effectively proven to be a great model system to better understand interconnected genetic networks. Unraveling genetic interactions and thereby different cellular processes is relatively easy because more than a century of research on flies has enabled the creation of sophisticated genetic tools to perturb gene function. A remarkable conservation of disease genes across evolution and the similarity of the general organization of the fly and vertebrate photoreceptor cell had prompted research on fly retinal degeneration. To date six fly models for RP, including RP4, RP11, RP12, RP14, RP25, and RP26, have been established, and have provided useful information on RP disease biology. In this chapter, an outline of approaches and experimental specifications are described to enable utilizing or developing new fly models of RP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malte Lehmann
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Knust
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Sarita Hebbar
- Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.
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Female Meiosis: Synapsis, Recombination, and Segregation in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 2018; 208:875-908. [PMID: 29487146 PMCID: PMC5844340 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.117.300081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
A century of genetic studies of the meiotic process in Drosophila melanogaster females has been greatly augmented by both modern molecular biology and major advances in cytology. These approaches, and the findings they have allowed, are the subject of this review. Specifically, these efforts have revealed that meiotic pairing in Drosophila females is not an extension of somatic pairing, but rather occurs by a poorly understood process during premeiotic mitoses. This process of meiotic pairing requires the function of several components of the synaptonemal complex (SC). When fully assembled, the SC also plays a critical role in maintaining homolog synapsis and in facilitating the maturation of double-strand breaks (DSBs) into mature crossover (CO) events. Considerable progress has been made in elucidating not only the structure, function, and assembly of the SC, but also the proteins that facilitate the formation and repair of DSBs into both COs and noncrossovers (NCOs). The events that control the decision to mature a DSB as either a CO or an NCO, as well as determining which of the two CO pathways (class I or class II) might be employed, are also being characterized by genetic and genomic approaches. These advances allow a reconsideration of meiotic phenomena such as interference and the centromere effect, which were previously described only by genetic studies. In delineating the mechanisms by which the oocyte controls the number and position of COs, it becomes possible to understand the role of CO position in ensuring the proper orientation of homologs on the first meiotic spindle. Studies of bivalent orientation have occurred in the context of numerous investigations into the assembly, structure, and function of the first meiotic spindle. Additionally, studies have examined the mechanisms ensuring the segregation of chromosomes that have failed to undergo crossing over.
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Howe DG, Blake JA, Bradford YM, Bult CJ, Calvi BR, Engel SR, Kadin JA, Kaufman TC, Kishore R, Laulederkind SJF, Lewis SE, Moxon SAT, Richardson JE, Smith C. Model organism data evolving in support of translational medicine. Lab Anim (NY) 2018; 47:277-289. [PMID: 30224793 PMCID: PMC6322546 DOI: 10.1038/s41684-018-0150-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Model organism databases (MODs) have been collecting and integrating biomedical research data for 30 years and were designed to meet specific needs of each model organism research community. The contributions of model organism research to understanding biological systems would be hard to overstate. Modern molecular biology methods and cost reductions in nucleotide sequencing have opened avenues for direct application of model organism research to elucidating mechanisms of human diseases. Thus, the mandate for model organism research and databases has now grown to include facilitating use of these data in translational applications. Challenges in meeting this opportunity include the distribution of research data across many databases and websites, a lack of data format standards for some data types, and sustainability of scale and cost for genomic database resources like MODs. The issues of widely distributed data and application of data standards are some of the challenges addressed by FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable) data principles. The Alliance of Genome Resources is now moving to address these challenges by bringing together expertly curated research data from fly, mouse, rat, worm, yeast, zebrafish, and the Gene Ontology consortium. Centralized multi-species data access, integration, and format standardization will lower the data utilization barrier in comparative genomics and translational applications and will provide a framework in which sustainable scale and cost can be addressed. This article presents a brief historical perspective on how the Alliance model organisms are complementary and how they have already contributed to understanding the etiology of human diseases. In addition, we discuss four challenges for using data from MODs in translational applications and how the Alliance is working to address them, in part by applying FAIR data principles. Ultimately, combined data from these animal models are more powerful than the sum of the parts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas G Howe
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA.
| | | | - Yvonne M Bradford
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | | | - Brian R Calvi
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Stacia R Engel
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Ranjana Kishore
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Stanley J F Laulederkind
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Suzanna E Lewis
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Sierra A T Moxon
- The Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
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Li-Kroeger D, Kanca O, Lee PT, Cowan S, Lee MT, Jaiswal M, Salazar JL, He Y, Zuo Z, Bellen HJ. An expanded toolkit for gene tagging based on MiMIC and scarless CRISPR tagging in Drosophila. eLife 2018; 7:e38709. [PMID: 30091705 PMCID: PMC6095692 DOI: 10.7554/elife.38709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
We generated two new genetic tools to efficiently tag genes in Drosophila. The first, Double Header (DH) utilizes intronic MiMIC/CRIMIC insertions to generate artificial exons for GFP mediated protein trapping or T2A-GAL4 gene trapping in vivo based on Cre recombinase to avoid embryo injections. DH significantly increases integration efficiency compared to previous strategies and faithfully reports the expression pattern of genes and proteins. The second technique targets genes lacking coding introns using a two-step cassette exchange. First, we replace the endogenous gene with an excisable compact dominant marker using CRISPR making a null allele. Second, the insertion is replaced with a protein::tag cassette. This sequential manipulation allows the generation of numerous tagged alleles or insertion of other DNA fragments that facilitates multiple downstream applications. Both techniques allow precise gene manipulation and facilitate detection of gene expression, protein localization and assessment of protein function, as well as numerous other applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Li-Kroeger
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Oguz Kanca
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Pei-Tseng Lee
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Sierra Cowan
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell BiologyRice University HoustonHoustonUnited States
| | - Michael T Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell BiologyRice University HoustonHoustonUnited States
| | - Manish Jaiswal
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Jose Luis Salazar
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Program in Developmental BiologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Yuchun He
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Zhongyuan Zuo
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human GeneticsBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Program in Developmental BiologyBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Department of NeuroscienceBaylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research InstituteHoustonUnited States
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Abstract
As a laboratory animal, Drosophila melanogaster has made extensive contributions to understanding many areas of fundamental biology as well as being an effective model for human disease. Until recently, there was relatively little known about fly peroxisomes. There were early studies that examined the role of peroxisome enzymes during development of organs like the eye. However, with the advent of a well-annotated, sequenced genome, several groups have collectively determined, first by sequence homology and increasingly by functional studies, Drosophila Peroxins and related peroxisome proteins. Notably, it was shown that Drosophila peroxisome biogenesis is mediated via a well-conserved PTS1 import system. Although the fly genome encodes a Pex7 homologue, a canonical PTS2 import system does not seem to be conserved in Drosophila. Given the homology between Drosophila and Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Homo sapiens peroxisome biogenesis and function, Drosophila has emerged as an effective multicellular system to model human Peroxisome Biogenesis Disorders. Finally, Drosophila peroxisome research has recently come into its own, facilitating new discoveries into the role of peroxisomes within specific tissues, such as testes or immune cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Anderson-Baron
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, 5-14 Medical Sciences, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Andrew J Simmonds
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, 5-14 Medical Sciences, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2H7, Canada.
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38
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Lakhotia SC. Non-coding RNAs demystify constitutive heterochromatin as essential modulator of epigenotype. THE NUCLEUS 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s13237-017-0221-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
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