1
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Sanfeliu-Cerdán N, Català-Castro F, Mateos B, Garcia-Cabau C, Ribera M, Ruider I, Porta-de-la-Riva M, Canals-Calderón A, Wieser S, Salvatella X, Krieg M. A MEC-2/stomatin condensate liquid-to-solid phase transition controls neuronal mechanotransduction during touch sensing. Nat Cell Biol 2023; 25:1590-1599. [PMID: 37857834 PMCID: PMC10635833 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-023-01247-0] [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: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
A growing body of work suggests that the material properties of biomolecular condensates ensuing from liquid-liquid phase separation change with time. How this aging process is controlled and whether the condensates with distinct material properties can have different biological functions is currently unknown. Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model, we show that MEC-2/stomatin undergoes a rigidity phase transition from fluid-like to solid-like condensates that facilitate transport and mechanotransduction, respectively. This switch is triggered by the interaction between the SH3 domain of UNC-89 (titin/obscurin) and MEC-2. We suggest that this rigidity phase transition has a physiological role in frequency-dependent force transmission in mechanosensitive neurons during body wall touch. Our data demonstrate a function for the liquid and solid phases of MEC-2/stomatin condensates in facilitating transport or mechanotransduction, and a previously unidentified role for titin homologues in neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neus Sanfeliu-Cerdán
- ICFO - Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Frederic Català-Castro
- ICFO - Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Borja Mateos
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carla Garcia-Cabau
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Ribera
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Iris Ruider
- ICFO - Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Montserrat Porta-de-la-Riva
- ICFO - Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Adrià Canals-Calderón
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Stefan Wieser
- ICFO - Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Xavier Salvatella
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.
- ICREA, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Michael Krieg
- ICFO - Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain.
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2
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Pispa J, Mikkonen E, Arpalahti L, Jin C, Martínez-Fernández C, Cerón J, Holmberg CI. AKIR-1 regulates proteasome subcellular function in Caenorhabditis elegans. iScience 2023; 26:107886. [PMID: 37767001 PMCID: PMC10520889 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Polyubiquitinated proteins are primarily degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). Proteasomes are present both in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Here, we investigated mechanisms coordinating proteasome subcellular localization and activity in a multicellular organism. We identified the nuclear protein-encoding gene akir-1 as a proteasome regulator in a genome-wide Caenorhabditis elegans RNAi screen. We demonstrate that depletion of akir-1 causes nuclear accumulation of endogenous polyubiquitinated proteins in intestinal cells, concomitant with slower in vivo proteasomal degradation in this subcellular compartment. Remarkably, akir-1 is essential for nuclear localization of proteasomes both in oocytes and intestinal cells but affects differentially the subcellular distribution of polyubiquitinated proteins. We further reveal that importin ima-3 genetically interacts with akir-1 and influences nuclear localization of a polyubiquitin-binding reporter. Our study shows that the conserved AKIR-1 is an important regulator of the subcellular function of proteasomes in a multicellular organism, suggesting a role for AKIR-1 in proteostasis maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Pispa
- Department of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Elisa Mikkonen
- Department of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Leena Arpalahti
- Department of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Congyu Jin
- Department of Anatomy, Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Carmen Martínez-Fernández
- Modeling Human Diseases in C. elegans Group, Genes, Diseases, and Therapies Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge - IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08908 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julián Cerón
- Modeling Human Diseases in C. elegans Group, Genes, Diseases, and Therapies Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge - IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08908 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carina I. Holmberg
- Department of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
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3
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De-Souza EA, Thompson MA, Taylor RC. Olfactory chemosensation extends lifespan through TGF-β signaling and UPR activation. NATURE AGING 2023; 3:938-947. [PMID: 37500972 PMCID: PMC10432268 DOI: 10.1038/s43587-023-00467-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Animals rely on chemosensory cues to survive in pathogen-rich environments. In Caenorhabditis elegans, pathogenic bacteria trigger aversive behaviors through neuronal perception and activate molecular defenses throughout the animal. This suggests that neurons can coordinate the activation of organism-wide defensive responses upon pathogen perception. In this study, we found that exposure to volatile pathogen-associated compounds induces activation of the endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response (UPRER) in peripheral tissues after xbp-1 splicing in neurons. This odorant-induced UPRER activation is dependent upon DAF-7/transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling and leads to extended lifespan and enhanced clearance of toxic proteins. Notably, rescue of the DAF-1 TGF-β receptor in RIM/RIC interneurons is sufficient to significantly recover UPRER activation upon 1-undecene exposure. Our data suggest that the cell non-autonomous UPRER rewires organismal proteostasis in response to pathogen detection, pre-empting proteotoxic stress. Thus, chemosensation of particular odors may be a route to manipulation of stress responses and longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evandro A De-Souza
- Neurobiology Division, Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Maximillian A Thompson
- Neurobiology Division, Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Rebecca C Taylor
- Neurobiology Division, Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
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4
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Nkombo Nkoula S, Velez-Aguilera G, Ossareh-Nazari B, Van Hove L, Ayuso C, Legros V, Chevreux G, Thomas L, Seydoux G, Askjaer P, Pintard L. Mechanisms of nuclear pore complex disassembly by the mitotic Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK-1) in C. elegans embryos. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf7826. [PMID: 37467327 PMCID: PMC10355831 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf7826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
The nuclear envelope, which protects and organizes the genome, is dismantled during mitosis. In the Caenorhabditis elegans zygote, nuclear envelope breakdown (NEBD) of the parental pronuclei is spatially and temporally regulated during mitosis to promote the unification of the maternal and paternal genomes. Nuclear pore complex (NPC) disassembly is a decisive step of NEBD, essential for nuclear permeabilization. By combining live imaging, biochemistry, and phosphoproteomics, we show that NPC disassembly is a stepwise process that involves Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK-1)-dependent and -independent steps. PLK-1 targets multiple NPC subcomplexes, including the cytoplasmic filaments, central channel, and inner ring. PLK-1 is recruited to and phosphorylates intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) of several multivalent linker nucleoporins. Notably, although the phosphosites are not conserved between human and C. elegans nucleoporins, they are located in IDRs in both species. Our results suggest that targeting IDRs of multivalent linker nucleoporins is an evolutionarily conserved driver of NPC disassembly during mitosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Nkombo Nkoula
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, F-75013 Paris, France
- Programme Équipe Labellisée Ligue contre le Cancer, Paris, France
| | - Griselda Velez-Aguilera
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, F-75013 Paris, France
- Programme Équipe Labellisée Ligue contre le Cancer, Paris, France
| | - Batool Ossareh-Nazari
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, F-75013 Paris, France
- Programme Équipe Labellisée Ligue contre le Cancer, Paris, France
| | - Lucie Van Hove
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, F-75013 Paris, France
- Programme Équipe Labellisée Ligue contre le Cancer, Paris, France
| | - Cristina Ayuso
- Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology (CABD), CSIC/JA/Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
| | - Véronique Legros
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Guillaume Chevreux
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Laura Thomas
- HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Géraldine Seydoux
- HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Peter Askjaer
- Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology (CABD), CSIC/JA/Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
| | - Lionel Pintard
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, F-75013 Paris, France
- Programme Équipe Labellisée Ligue contre le Cancer, Paris, France
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5
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Kukhtar D, Fussenegger M. Synthetic biology in multicellular organisms: Opportunities in nematodes. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023. [PMID: 37448225 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic biology has mainly focused on introducing new or altered functionality in single cell systems: primarily bacteria, yeast, or mammalian cells. Here, we describe the extension of synthetic biology to nematodes, in particular the well-studied model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, as a convenient platform for developing applications in a multicellular setting. We review transgenesis techniques for nematodes, as well as the application of synthetic biology principles to construct nematode gene switches and genetic devices to control motility. Finally, we discuss potential applications of engineered nematodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmytro Kukhtar
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Martin Fussenegger
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
- Faculty of Life Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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6
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Stevenson ZC, Moerdyk-Schauwecker MJ, Banse SA, Patel DS, Lu H, Phillips PC. High-throughput library transgenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans via Transgenic Arrays Resulting in Diversity of Integrated Sequences (TARDIS). eLife 2023; 12:RP84831. [PMID: 37401921 PMCID: PMC10328503 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/05/2023] Open
Abstract
High-throughput transgenesis using synthetic DNA libraries is a powerful method for systematically exploring genetic function. Diverse synthesized libraries have been used for protein engineering, identification of protein-protein interactions, characterization of promoter libraries, developmental and evolutionary lineage tracking, and various other exploratory assays. However, the need for library transgenesis has effectively restricted these approaches to single-cell models. Here, we present Transgenic Arrays Resulting in Diversity of Integrated Sequences (TARDIS), a simple yet powerful approach to large-scale transgenesis that overcomes typical limitations encountered in multicellular systems. TARDIS splits the transgenesis process into a two-step process: creation of individuals carrying experimentally introduced sequence libraries, followed by inducible extraction and integration of individual sequences/library components from the larger library cassette into engineered genomic sites. Thus, transformation of a single individual, followed by lineage expansion and functional transgenesis, gives rise to thousands of genetically unique transgenic individuals. We demonstrate the power of this system using engineered, split selectable TARDIS sites in Caenorhabditis elegans to generate (1) a large set of individually barcoded lineages and (2) transcriptional reporter lines from predefined promoter libraries. We find that this approach increases transformation yields up to approximately 1000-fold over current single-step methods. While we demonstrate the utility of TARDIS using C. elegans, in principle the process is adaptable to any system where experimentally generated genomic loci landing pads and diverse, heritable DNA elements can be generated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Stephen A Banse
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| | - Dhaval S Patel
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
- Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - Hang Lu
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
- Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - Patrick C Phillips
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
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7
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Abstract
After decades of research, our knowledge of the complexity of cancer mechanisms, elegantly summarized as 'hallmarks of cancer', is expanding, as are the therapeutic opportunities that this knowledge brings. However, cancer still needs intense research to diminish its tremendous impact. In this context, the use of simple model organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans, in which the genetics of the apoptotic pathway was discovered, can facilitate the investigation of several cancer hallmarks. Amenable for genetic and drug screens, convenient for fast and efficient genome editing, and aligned with the 3Rs ('Replacement, Reduction and Refinement') principles for ethical animal research, C. elegans plays a significant role in unravelling the intricate network of cancer mechanisms and presents a promising option in clinical diagnosis and drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julián Cerón
- Modeling Human Diseases in C. elegans Group – Genes, Disease and Therapy Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute – IDIBELL, 08908 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
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8
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Thomas L, Taleb Ismail B, Askjaer P, Seydoux G. Nucleoporin foci are stress-sensitive condensates dispensable for C. elegans nuclear pore assembly. EMBO J 2023:e112987. [PMID: 37254647 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2022112987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleoporins (Nups) assemble nuclear pores that form the permeability barrier between nucleoplasm and cytoplasm. Nucleoporins also localize in cytoplasmic foci proposed to function as pore pre-assembly intermediates. Here, we characterize the composition and incidence of cytoplasmic Nup foci in an intact animal, C. elegans. We find that, in young non-stressed animals, Nup foci only appear in developing sperm, oocytes and embryos, tissues that express high levels of nucleoporins. The foci are condensates of highly cohesive FG repeat-containing nucleoporins (FG-Nups), which are maintained near their solubility limit in the cytoplasm by posttranslational modifications and chaperone activity. Only a minor fraction of FG-Nup molecules concentrate in Nup foci, which dissolve during M phase and are dispensable for nuclear pore assembly. Nucleoporin condensation is enhanced by stress and advancing age, and overexpression of a single FG-Nup in post-mitotic neurons is sufficient to induce ectopic condensation and organismal paralysis. We speculate that Nup foci are non-essential and potentially toxic condensates whose assembly is actively suppressed in healthy cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Thomas
- HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Basma Taleb Ismail
- HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Peter Askjaer
- Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology (CABD), CSIC/JA/Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
| | - Geraldine Seydoux
- HHMI and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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9
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Martínez-Fernández C, Jha S, Aliagas E, Holmberg CI, Nadal E, Cerón J. BAP1 Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans Reveal Synthetic Lethality between ubh-4/ BAP1 and the Proteasome Subunit rpn-9/ PSMD13. Cells 2023; 12:929. [PMID: 36980270 PMCID: PMC10047281 DOI: 10.3390/cells12060929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The deubiquitinase BAP1 (BRCA1-associated protein 1) is associated with BAP1 tumor predisposition syndrome (TPDS). BAP1 is a tumor suppressor gene whose alterations in cancer are commonly caused by gene mutations leading to protein loss of function. By CRISPR-Cas, we have generated mutations in ubh-4, the BAP1 ortholog in Caenorhabditis elegans, to model the functional impact of BAP1 mutations. We have found that a mimicked BAP1 cancer missense mutation (UBH-4 A87D; BAP1 A95D) resembles the phenotypes of ubh-4 deletion mutants. Despite ubh-4 being ubiquitously expressed, the gene is not essential for viability and its deletion causes only mild phenotypes without affecting 20S proteasome levels. Such viability facilitated an RNAi screen for ubh-4 genetic interactors that identified rpn-9, the ortholog of human PSMD13, a gene encoding subunit of the regulatory particle of the 26S proteasome. ubh-4[A87D], similarly to ubh-4 deletion, cause a synthetic genetic interaction with rpn-9 inactivation affecting body size, lifespan, and the development of germ cells. Finally, we show how ubh-4 inactivation sensitizes animals to the chemotherapeutic agent Bortezomib, which is a proteasome inhibitor. Thus, we have established a model to study BAP1 cancer-related mutations in C. elegans, and our data points toward vulnerabilities that should be studied to explore therapeutic opportunities within the complexity of BAP1 tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Martínez-Fernández
- Modeling Human Diseases in C. elegans Group, Genes, Diseases, and Therapies Program, Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08908 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sweta Jha
- Medicum, Department of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 8, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Elisabet Aliagas
- Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Català d’Oncologia (ICO), L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08908 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carina I. Holmberg
- Medicum, Department of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 8, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ernest Nadal
- Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Català d’Oncologia (ICO), L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08908 Barcelona, Spain
- Preclinical and Experimental Research in Thoracic Tumors (PReTT), Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08908 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julián Cerón
- Modeling Human Diseases in C. elegans Group, Genes, Diseases, and Therapies Program, Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08908 Barcelona, Spain
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10
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Nkoula SN, Velez-Aguilera G, Ossareh-Nazari B, Hove LV, Ayuso C, Legros V, Chevreux G, Thomas L, Seydoux G, Askjaer P, Pintard L. Mechanisms of Nuclear Pore Complex disassembly by the mitotic Polo-Like Kinase 1 (PLK-1) in C. elegans embryos. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.21.528438. [PMID: 36865292 PMCID: PMC9980100 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.21.528438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
The nuclear envelope, which protects and organizes the interphase genome, is dismantled during mitosis. In the C. elegans zygote, nuclear envelope breakdown (NEBD) of the parental pronuclei is spatially and temporally regulated during mitosis to promote the unification of the parental genomes. During NEBD, Nuclear Pore Complex (NPC) disassembly is critical for rupturing the nuclear permeability barrier and removing the NPCs from the membranes near the centrosomes and between the juxtaposed pronuclei. By combining live imaging, biochemistry, and phosphoproteomics, we characterized NPC disassembly and unveiled the exact role of the mitotic kinase PLK-1 in this process. We show that PLK-1 disassembles the NPC by targeting multiple NPC sub-complexes, including the cytoplasmic filaments, the central channel, and the inner ring. Notably, PLK-1 is recruited to and phosphorylates intrinsically disordered regions of several multivalent linker nucleoporins, a mechanism that appears to be an evolutionarily conserved driver of NPC disassembly during mitosis. (149/150 words). One-Sentence Summary PLK-1 targets intrinsically disordered regions of multiple multivalent nucleoporins to dismantle the nuclear pore complexes in the C. elegans zygote.
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11
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Oswal N, Martin OMF, Stroustrup S, Bruckner MAM, Stroustrup N. A hierarchical process model links behavioral aging and lifespan in C. elegans. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010415. [PMID: 36178967 PMCID: PMC9524676 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging involves a transition from youthful vigor to geriatric infirmity and death. Individuals who remain vigorous longer tend to live longer, and within isogenic populations of C. elegans the timing of age-associated vigorous movement cessation (VMC) is highly correlated with lifespan. Yet, many mutations and interventions in aging alter the proportion of lifespan spent moving vigorously, appearing to “uncouple” youthful vigor from lifespan. To clarify the relationship between vigorous movement cessation, death, and the physical declines that determine their timing, we developed a new version of the imaging platform called “The Lifespan Machine”. This technology allows us to compare behavioral aging and lifespan at an unprecedented scale. We find that behavioral aging involves a time-dependent increase in the risk of VMC, reminiscent of the risk of death. Furthermore, we find that VMC times are inversely correlated with remaining lifespan across a wide range of genotypes and environmental conditions. Measuring and modelling a variety of lifespan-altering interventions including a new RNA-polymerase II auxin-inducible degron system, we find that vigorous movement and lifespan are best described as emerging from the interplay between at least two distinct physical declines whose rates co-vary between individuals. In this way, we highlight a crucial limitation of predictors of lifespan like VMC—in organisms experiencing multiple, distinct, age-associated physical declines, correlations between mid-life biomarkers and late-life outcomes can arise from the contextual influence of confounding factors rather than a reporting by the biomarker of a robustly predictive biological age. Aging produces a variety of outcomes—declines in various measures of health and eventually death. By studying the relationship between two outcomes of aging in the same individual, we can learn about the underlying aging processes that cause them. Here, we consider the relationship between death and an outcome often used to quantify health in C. elegans—vigorous movement cessation which describes the age-associated loss of an individuals’ ability to move long distances. We develop an automated imaging platform that allows us to precisely compare this pair of outcomes in each individual across large populations. We find that individuals who remain vigorous longer subsequently have a shorter remaining lifespan—a pattern that holds even after vigorous movement and lifespan timing are both altered by several different mutations and interventions in aging. Modelling our data using a combination of simulation and analytic studies, we demonstrate how the relative timing of vigorous movement cessation and death suggest that these two outcomes are driven by distinct aging processes. Our data and analyses demonstrate how two outcomes of aging can be correlated across individuals with the timing of one predicting the timing of the other, but nevertheless be driven by mostly distinct underlying physical declines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha Oswal
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Olivier M. F. Martin
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sofia Stroustrup
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Monika Anna Matusiak Bruckner
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nicholas Stroustrup
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail:
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12
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Advances in CRISPR/Cas9. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 2022:9978571. [PMID: 36193328 PMCID: PMC9525763 DOI: 10.1155/2022/9978571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
CRISPR/Cas9 technology has become the most examined gene editing technology in recent years due to its simple design, yet low cost, high efficiency, and simple operation, which can also achieve simultaneous editing of multiple loci. It can also be carried out without using plasmids, saving lots of troubles caused by plasmids. CRISPR/Cas9 has shown great potential in the study of genes or genomic functions in microorganisms, plants, animals, and human beings. In this review, we will examine the history, structure, and basic mechanisms of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, describe its great value in precision medicine and sgRNA library screening, and dig its great potential in a new field: DNA information storage.
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13
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Cabin1 domain-containing gene picd-1 interacts with pry-1/Axin to regulate multiple processes in Caenorhabditis elegans. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12029. [PMID: 35835800 PMCID: PMC9283418 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15873-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The Axin family of scaffolding proteins control diverse processes, such as facilitating the interactions between cellular components and providing specificity to signaling pathways. While several Axin family members have been discovered in metazoans and shown to play crucial roles, their mechanism of action are not well understood. The Caenorhabditis elegans Axin homolog, pry-1, is a powerful tool for identifying interacting genes and downstream effectors that function in a conserved manner to regulate Axin-mediated signaling. Our lab and others have established pry-1's essential role in developmental processes that affect the reproductive system, seam cells, and a posterior P lineage cell, P11.p. Additionally, pry-1 is crucial for lipid metabolism, stress responses, and aging. In this study, we expanded on our previous work on pry-1 by reporting a novel interacting gene named picd-1 (pry-1-interacting and Cabin1 domain-containing). PICD-1 protein shares sequence conservation with CABIN1, a component of the HUCA complex. Our findings have revealed that PICD-1 is involved in several pry-1-mediated processes, including stress response and lifespan maintenance. picd-1's expression overlapped with that of pry-1 in multiple tissues throughout the lifespan. Furthermore, PRY-1 and PICD-1 inhibited CREB-regulated transcriptional coactivator homolog CRTC-1, which promotes longevity in a calcineurin-dependent manner. Overall, our study has demonstrated that picd-1 is necessary for mediating pry-1 function and provides the basis to investigate whether Cabin-1 domain-containing protein plays a similar role in Axin signaling in other systems.
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14
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Vicencio J, Sánchez-Bolaños C, Moreno-Sánchez I, Brena D, Vejnar CE, Kukhtar D, Ruiz-López M, Cots-Ponjoan M, Rubio A, Melero NR, Crespo-Cuadrado J, Carolis C, Pérez-Pulido AJ, Giráldez AJ, Kleinstiver BP, Cerón J, Moreno-Mateos MA. Genome editing in animals with minimal PAM CRISPR-Cas9 enzymes. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2601. [PMID: 35552388 PMCID: PMC9098488 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30228-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The requirement for Cas nucleases to recognize a specific PAM is a major restriction for genome editing. SpCas9 variants SpG and SpRY, recognizing NGN and NRN PAMs, respectively, have contributed to increase the number of editable genomic sites in cell cultures and plants. However, their use has not been demonstrated in animals. Here we study the nuclease activity of SpG and SpRY by targeting 40 sites in zebrafish and C. elegans. Delivered as mRNA-gRNA or ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes, SpG and SpRY were able to induce mutations in vivo, albeit at a lower rate than SpCas9 in equivalent formulations. This lower activity was overcome by optimizing mRNA-gRNA or RNP concentration, leading to mutagenesis at regions inaccessible to SpCas9. We also found that the CRISPRscan algorithm could help to predict SpG and SpRY targets with high activity in vivo. Finally, we applied SpG and SpRY to generate knock-ins by homology-directed repair. Altogether, our results expand the CRISPR-Cas targeting genomic landscape in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Vicencio
- Modeling human diseases in C. elegans Group; Genes, Disease and Therapy Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge - IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos Sánchez-Bolaños
- Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology (CABD), Pablo de Olavide University/CSIC/Junta de Andalucía, Ctra. Utrera Km.1, 41013, Seville, Spain
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, Pablo de Olavide University, Ctra. Utrera Km.1, 41013, Seville, Spain
| | - Ismael Moreno-Sánchez
- Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology (CABD), Pablo de Olavide University/CSIC/Junta de Andalucía, Ctra. Utrera Km.1, 41013, Seville, Spain
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, Pablo de Olavide University, Ctra. Utrera Km.1, 41013, Seville, Spain
| | - David Brena
- Modeling human diseases in C. elegans Group; Genes, Disease and Therapy Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge - IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Charles E Vejnar
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Dmytro Kukhtar
- Modeling human diseases in C. elegans Group; Genes, Disease and Therapy Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge - IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miguel Ruiz-López
- Modeling human diseases in C. elegans Group; Genes, Disease and Therapy Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge - IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mariona Cots-Ponjoan
- Modeling human diseases in C. elegans Group; Genes, Disease and Therapy Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge - IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alejandro Rubio
- Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology (CABD), Pablo de Olavide University/CSIC/Junta de Andalucía, Ctra. Utrera Km.1, 41013, Seville, Spain
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, Pablo de Olavide University, Ctra. Utrera Km.1, 41013, Seville, Spain
| | - Natalia Rodrigo Melero
- Biomolecular Screening and Protein Technologies Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, 08003, Spain
| | - Jesús Crespo-Cuadrado
- Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology (CABD), Pablo de Olavide University/CSIC/Junta de Andalucía, Ctra. Utrera Km.1, 41013, Seville, Spain
| | - Carlo Carolis
- Biomolecular Screening and Protein Technologies Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, 08003, Spain
| | - Antonio J Pérez-Pulido
- Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology (CABD), Pablo de Olavide University/CSIC/Junta de Andalucía, Ctra. Utrera Km.1, 41013, Seville, Spain
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, Pablo de Olavide University, Ctra. Utrera Km.1, 41013, Seville, Spain
| | - Antonio J Giráldez
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
- Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Benjamin P Kleinstiver
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Julián Cerón
- Modeling human diseases in C. elegans Group; Genes, Disease and Therapy Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge - IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08908, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Miguel A Moreno-Mateos
- Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology (CABD), Pablo de Olavide University/CSIC/Junta de Andalucía, Ctra. Utrera Km.1, 41013, Seville, Spain.
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, Pablo de Olavide University, Ctra. Utrera Km.1, 41013, Seville, Spain.
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15
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Lancaster C, Zavagno G, Groombridge J, Raimundo A, Weinkove D, Hawkins T, Robson J, Goldberg MW. Imaging Fluorescent Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins in C. elegans. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2502:373-393. [PMID: 35412251 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2337-4_24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
C. elegans is a well-characterized and relatively simple model organism, making it attractive for studying nuclear pore complex proteins in cell and developmental biology. C. elegans is transparent and highly amendable to genetic manipulation. Therefore, it is possible to generate fluorescently tagged proteins and combine this with various light microscopy techniques to study protein behavior in space and time. Here, we provide protocols to prepare both fixed and live C. elegans for confocal and light sheet microscopy. This enables the analysis of nuclear pore complex proteins from embryonic stages to the aging adult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney Lancaster
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Giulia Zavagno
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | | | | | - David Weinkove
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Tim Hawkins
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Joanne Robson
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
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16
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Das R, Lin LC, Català-Castro F, Malaiwong N, Sanfeliu-Cerdán N, Porta-de-la-Riva M, Pidde A, Krieg M. An asymmetric mechanical code ciphers curvature-dependent proprioceptor activity. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabg4617. [PMID: 34533987 PMCID: PMC8448456 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg4617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
A repetitive gait cycle is an archetypical component within the behavioral repertoire of many animals including humans. It originates from mechanical feedback within proprioceptors to adjust the motor program during locomotion and thus leads to a periodic orbit in a low-dimensional space. Here, we investigate the mechanics, molecules, and neurons responsible for proprioception in Caenorhabditis elegans to gain insight into how mechanosensation shapes the orbital trajectory to a well-defined limit cycle. We used genome editing, force spectroscopy, and multiscale modeling and found that alternating tension and compression with the spectrin network of a single proprioceptor encodes body posture and informs TRP-4/NOMPC and TWK-16/TREK2 homologs of mechanosensitive ion channels during locomotion. In contrast to a widely accepted model of proprioceptive “stretch” reception, we found that proprioceptors activated locally under compressive stresses in-vivo and in-vitro and propose that this property leads to compartmentalized activity within long axons delimited by curvature-dependent mechanical stresses.
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17
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Abstract
In Caenorhabditis elegans, targeted genome editing techniques are now routinely used to generate germline edits. The remarkable ease of C. elegans germline editing is attributed to the syncytial nature of the pachytene ovary which is easily accessed by microinjection. This protocol describes the step-by-step details and troubleshooting tips for the entire CRISPR-Cas genome editing procedure, including gRNA design and microinjection of ribonucleoprotein complexes, followed by screening and genotyping in C. elegans, to help accessing this powerful genetic animal system. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Ghanta and Mello (2020).
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishna S. Ghanta
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Takao Ishidate
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Craig C. Mello
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
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18
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Goudeau J, Sharp CS, Paw J, Savy L, Leonetti MD, York AG, Updike DL, Kenyon C, Ingaramo M. Split-wrmScarlet and split-sfGFP: tools for faster, easier fluorescent labeling of endogenous proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2021; 217:iyab014. [PMID: 33693628 PMCID: PMC8049552 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [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] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We create and share a new red fluorophore, along with a set of strains, reagents and protocols, to make it faster and easier to label endogenous Caenorhabditis elegans proteins with fluorescent tags. CRISPR-mediated fluorescent labeling of C. elegans proteins is an invaluable tool, but it is much more difficult to insert fluorophore-size DNA segments than it is to make small gene edits. In principle, high-affinity asymmetrically split fluorescent proteins solve this problem in C. elegans: the small fragment can quickly and easily be fused to almost any protein of interest, and can be detected wherever the large fragment is expressed and complemented. However, there is currently only one available strain stably expressing the large fragment of a split fluorescent protein, restricting this solution to a single tissue (the germline) in the highly autofluorescent green channel. No available C. elegans lines express unbound large fragments of split red fluorescent proteins, and even state-of-the-art split red fluorescent proteins are dim compared to the canonical split-sfGFP protein. In this study, we engineer a bright, high-affinity new split red fluorophore, split-wrmScarlet. We generate transgenic C. elegans lines to allow easy single-color labeling in muscle or germline cells and dual-color labeling in somatic cells. We also describe a novel expression strategy for the germline, where traditional expression strategies struggle. We validate these strains by targeting split-wrmScarlet to several genes whose products label distinct organelles, and we provide a protocol for easy, cloning-free CRISPR/Cas9 editing. As the collection of split-FP strains for labeling in different tissues or organelles expands, we will post updates at doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3993663.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Goudeau
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Catherine S Sharp
- Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04672, USA
| | - Jonathan Paw
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Laura Savy
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | | | - Andrew G York
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Dustin L Updike
- Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04672, USA
| | - Cynthia Kenyon
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Maria Ingaramo
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
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19
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Remmelzwaal S, Geisler F, Stucchi R, van der Horst S, Pasolli M, Kroll JR, Jarosinska OD, Akhmanova A, Richardson CA, Altelaar M, Leube RE, Ramalho JJ, Boxem M. BBLN-1 is essential for intermediate filament organization and apical membrane morphology. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2334-2346.e9. [PMID: 33857431 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Epithelial tubes are essential components of metazoan organ systems that control the flow of fluids and the exchange of materials between body compartments and the outside environment. The size and shape of the central lumen confer important characteristics to tubular organs and need to be carefully controlled. Here, we identify the small coiled-coil protein BBLN-1 as a regulator of lumen morphology in the C. elegans intestine. Loss of BBLN-1 causes the formation of bubble-shaped invaginations of the apical membrane into the cytoplasm of intestinal cells and abnormal aggregation of the subapical intermediate filament (IF) network. BBLN-1 interacts with IF proteins and localizes to the IF network in an IF-dependent manner. The appearance of invaginations is a result of the abnormal IF aggregation, indicating a direct role for the IF network in maintaining lumen homeostasis. Finally, we identify bublin (BBLN) as the mammalian ortholog of BBLN-1. When expressed in the C. elegans intestine, BBLN recapitulates the localization pattern of BBLN-1 and can compensate for the loss of BBLN-1 in early larvae. In mouse intestinal organoids, BBLN localizes subapically, together with the IF protein keratin 8. Our results therefore may have implications for understanding the role of IFs in regulating epithelial tube morphology in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanne Remmelzwaal
- Developmental Biology, Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Florian Geisler
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Riccardo Stucchi
- Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands; Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Suzanne van der Horst
- Molecular Cancer Research, Center for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Milena Pasolli
- Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jason R Kroll
- Developmental Biology, Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Olga D Jarosinska
- Developmental Biology, Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Anna Akhmanova
- Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | | | - Maarten Altelaar
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Rudolf E Leube
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - João J Ramalho
- Developmental Biology, Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Mike Boxem
- Developmental Biology, Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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20
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Vicencio J, Cerón J. A Living Organism in your CRISPR Toolbox: Caenorhabditis elegans Is a Rapid and Efficient Model for Developing CRISPR-Cas Technologies. CRISPR J 2021; 4:32-42. [PMID: 33538637 DOI: 10.1089/crispr.2020.0103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Cas9 nuclease from Streptococcus pyogenes (SpCas9) is the most popular enzyme for CRISPR technologies. However, considering the wide diversity of microorganisms (discovered and still unknown), a massive number of CRISPR effectors are being and will be identified and characterized in the search of optimal Cas variants for each of the many applications of CRISPR. In this context, a versatile and efficient multicellular system for CRISPR editing such as Caenorhabditis elegans would be of great help in the development of these effectors. Here, we highlight the benefits of using C. elegans for the rapid evaluation of new CRISPR effectors, and for optimizing CRISPR efficiency in animals in several ways such as by modulating the balance between repair pathways, modifying chromatin accessibility, or controlling the expression and activity of nucleases and guide RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Vicencio
- Modeling human diseases in C. elegans Group, Genes, Disease and Therapy Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julián Cerón
- Modeling human diseases in C. elegans Group, Genes, Disease and Therapy Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
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21
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Ghanta KS, Mello CC. Melting dsDNA Donor Molecules Greatly Improves Precision Genome Editing in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2020; 216:643-650. [PMID: 32963112 PMCID: PMC7648581 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.120.303564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR genome editing has revolutionized genetics in many organisms. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, one injection into each of the two gonad arms of an adult hermaphrodite exposes hundreds of meiotic germ cells to editing mixtures, permitting the recovery of multiple indels or small precision edits from each successfully injected animal. Unfortunately, particularly for long insertions, editing efficiencies can vary widely, necessitating multiple injections, and often requiring coselection strategies. Here, we show that melting double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) donor molecules prior to injection increases the frequency of precise homology-directed repair (HDR) by several fold for longer edits. We describe troubleshooting strategies that enable consistently high editing efficiencies resulting, for example, in up to 100 independent GFP knock-ins from a single injected animal. These efficiencies make C. elegans by far the easiest metazoan to genome edit, removing barriers to the use and adoption of this facile system as a model for understanding animal biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishna S Ghanta
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605
| | - Craig C Mello
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605
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22
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Bai X, Huang LJ, Chen SW, Nebenfuehr B, Wysolmerski B, Wu JC, Olson SK, Golden A, Wang CW. Loss of the seipin gene perturbs eggshell formation in Caenorhabditiselegans. Development 2020; 147:dev192997. [PMID: 32820022 PMCID: PMC7578359 DOI: 10.1242/dev.192997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Seipin, an evolutionary conserved protein, plays pivotal roles during lipid droplet (LD) biogenesis and is associated with various human diseases with unclear mechanisms. Here, we analyzed Caenorhabditis elegans mutants deleted of the sole SEIPIN gene, seip-1 Homozygous seip-1 mutants displayed penetrant embryonic lethality, which is caused by the disruption of the lipid-rich permeability barrier, the innermost layer of the C. elegans embryonic eggshell. In C. elegans oocytes and embryos, SEIP-1 is associated with LDs and is crucial for controlling LD size and lipid homeostasis. The seip-1 deletion mutants reduced the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in their embryonic fatty acid pool. Interestingly, dietary supplementation of selected n-6 PUFAs rescued the embryonic lethality and defective permeability barrier. Accordingly, we propose that SEIP-1 may maternally regulate LD biogenesis and lipid homeostasis to orchestrate the formation of the permeability barrier for eggshell synthesis during embryogenesis. A lipodystrophy allele of seip-1 resulted in embryonic lethality as well and could be rescued by PUFA supplementation. These experiments support a great potential for using C. elegans to model SEIPIN-associated human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofei Bai
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Leng-Jie Huang
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Wen Chen
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Benjamin Nebenfuehr
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Brian Wysolmerski
- Department of Biology and Program in Molecular Biology, Pomona College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Jui-Ching Wu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Science and Medical Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10048, Taiwan
| | - Sara K Olson
- Department of Biology and Program in Molecular Biology, Pomona College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Andy Golden
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Chao-Wen Wang
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
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23
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Ancestral function of Inhibitors-of-kappaB regulates Caenorhabditis elegans development. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16153. [PMID: 32999373 PMCID: PMC7527347 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73146-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammalian IκB proteins (IκBs) exert their main function as negative regulators of NF-κB, a central signaling pathway controlling immunity and inflammation. An alternative chromatin role for IκBs has been shown to affect stemness and cell differentiation. However, the involvement of NF-κB in this function has not been excluded. NFKI-1 and IKB-1 are IκB homologs in Caenorhabditis elegans, which lacks NF-κB nuclear effectors. We found that nfki-1 and ikb-1 mutants display developmental defects that phenocopy mutations in Polycomb and UTX-1 histone demethylase, suggesting a role for C. elegans IκBs in chromatin regulation. Further supporting this possibility (1) we detected NFKI-1 in the nucleus of cells; (2) NFKI-1 and IKB-1 bind to histones and Polycomb proteins, (3) and associate with chromatin in vivo, and (4) mutations in nfki-1 and ikb-1 alter chromatin marks. Based on these results, we propose that ancestral IκB inhibitors modulate Polycomb activity at specific gene subsets with an impact on development.
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24
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McDiarmid TA, Au V, Moerman DG, Rankin CH. Peel-1 negative selection promotes screening-free CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0238950. [PMID: 32960926 PMCID: PMC7508457 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Improved genome engineering methods that enable automation of large and precise edits are essential for systematic investigations of genome function. We adapted peel-1 negative selection to an optimized Dual-Marker Selection (DMS) cassette protocol for CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering in Caenorhabditis elegans and observed robust increases in multiple measures of efficiency that were consistent across injectors and four genomic loci. The use of Peel-1-DMS selection killed animals harboring transgenes as extrachromosomal arrays and spared genome-edited integrants, often circumventing the need for visual screening to identify genome-edited animals. To demonstrate the applicability of the approach, we created deletion alleles in the putative proteasomal subunit pbs-1 and the uncharacterized gene K04F10.3 and used machine vision to automatically characterize their phenotypic profiles, revealing homozygous essential and heterozygous behavioral phenotypes. These results provide a robust and scalable approach to rapidly generate and phenotype genome-edited animals without the need for screening or scoring by eye.
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Affiliation(s)
- Troy A. McDiarmid
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Vinci Au
- Department of Zoology, Life Sciences Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Donald G. Moerman
- Department of Zoology, Life Sciences Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Catharine H. Rankin
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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25
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Gómez-Escribano AP, Bono-Yagüe J, García-Gimeno MA, Sequedo MD, Hervás D, Fornés-Ferrer V, Torres-Sánchez SC, Millán JM, Sanz P, Vázquez-Manrique RP. Synergistic activation of AMPK prevents from polyglutamine-induced toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Pharmacol Res 2020; 161:105105. [PMID: 32739430 PMCID: PMC7755709 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2020.105105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Expression of abnormally long polyglutamine (polyQ) tracks is the source of a range of dominant neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington disease. Currently, there is no treatment for this devastating disease, although some chemicals, e.g., metformin, have been proposed as therapeutic solutions. In this work, we show that metformin, together with salicylate, can synergistically reduce the number of aggregates produced after polyQ expression in Caenorhabditis elegans. Moreover, we demonstrate that incubation polyQ-stressed worms with low doses of both chemicals restores neuronal functionality. Both substances are pleitotropic and may activate a range of different targets. However, we demonstrate in this report that the beneficial effect induced by the combination of these drugs depends entirely on the catalytic action of AMPK, since loss of function mutants of aak-2/AMPKα2 do not respond to the treatment. To further investigate the mechanism of the synergetic activity of metformin/salicylate, we used CRISPR to generate mutant alleles of the scaffolding subunit of AMPK, aakb-1/AMPKβ1. In addition, we used an RNAi strategy to silence the expression of the second AMPKβ subunit in worms, namely aakb-2/AMPKβ2. In this work, we demonstrated that both regulatory subunits of AMPK are modulators of protein homeostasis. Interestingly, only aakb-2/AMPKβ2 is required for the synergistic action of metformin/salicylate to reduce polyQ aggregation. Finally, we showed that autophagy acts downstream of metformin/salicylate-related AMPK activation to promote healthy protein homeostasis in worms.
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Affiliation(s)
- A P Gómez-Escribano
- Laboratory of Molecular, Cellular and Genomic Biomedicine, Instituto De Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Valencia, Spain; Centro De Investigación Biomédica En Red De Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain; Joint Unit for Rare Diseases IIS La Fe-CIPF, Valencia, Spain
| | - J Bono-Yagüe
- Laboratory of Molecular, Cellular and Genomic Biomedicine, Instituto De Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Valencia, Spain; Joint Unit for Rare Diseases IIS La Fe-CIPF, Valencia, Spain
| | - M A García-Gimeno
- Department of Biotechnology, Escuela Técnica Superior De Ingeniería Agronómica y Del Medio Natural (ETSIAMN), Universitat Politécnica De València, Valencia, Spain
| | - M D Sequedo
- Laboratory of Molecular, Cellular and Genomic Biomedicine, Instituto De Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Valencia, Spain; Centro De Investigación Biomédica En Red De Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain; Joint Unit for Rare Diseases IIS La Fe-CIPF, Valencia, Spain
| | - D Hervás
- Department of Biostatistics, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Valencia, Spain
| | - V Fornés-Ferrer
- Tau Analytics, Parc Científic De La Universitat De València, Paterna, Spain
| | - S C Torres-Sánchez
- Laboratory of Molecular, Cellular and Genomic Biomedicine, Instituto De Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Valencia, Spain
| | - J M Millán
- Laboratory of Molecular, Cellular and Genomic Biomedicine, Instituto De Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Valencia, Spain; Centro De Investigación Biomédica En Red De Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain; Joint Unit for Rare Diseases IIS La Fe-CIPF, Valencia, Spain
| | - P Sanz
- Centro De Investigación Biomédica En Red De Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain; Instituto De Biomedicina De València, CSIC, Valencia, Spain
| | - R P Vázquez-Manrique
- Laboratory of Molecular, Cellular and Genomic Biomedicine, Instituto De Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Valencia, Spain; Centro De Investigación Biomédica En Red De Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain; Joint Unit for Rare Diseases IIS La Fe-CIPF, Valencia, Spain.
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26
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Bai X, Bouffard J, Lord A, Brugman K, Sternberg PW, Cram EJ, Golden A. Caenorhabditis elegans PIEZO channel coordinates multiple reproductive tissues to govern ovulation. eLife 2020; 9:e53603. [PMID: 32490809 PMCID: PMC7340503 DOI: 10.7554/elife.53603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 are newly identified mechanosensitive ion channels that exhibit a preference for calcium in response to mechanical stimuli. In this study, we discovered the vital roles of pezo-1, the sole PIEZO ortholog in Caenorhabditiselegans, in regulating reproduction. A number of deletion alleles, as well as a putative gain-of-function mutant, of PEZO-1 caused a severe reduction in brood size. In vivo observations showed that oocytes undergo a variety of transit defects as they enter and exit the spermatheca during ovulation. Post-ovulation oocytes were frequently damaged during spermathecal contraction. However, the calcium signaling was not dramatically changed in the pezo-1 mutants during ovulation. Loss of PEZO-1 also led to an inability of self-sperm to navigate back to the spermatheca properly after being pushed out of the spermatheca during ovulation. These findings suggest that PEZO-1 acts in different reproductive tissues to promote proper ovulation and fertilization in C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofei Bai
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Jeff Bouffard
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - Avery Lord
- Department of Biology, Northeastern UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - Katherine Brugman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of TechnologyPasadenaUnited States
| | - Paul W Sternberg
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of TechnologyPasadenaUnited States
| | - Erin J Cram
- Department of Biology, Northeastern UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - Andy Golden
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
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27
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Culp E, Richman C, Sharanya D, Jhaveri N, van den Berg W, Gupta BP. Genome editing in the nematode Caenorhabditis briggsae using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Biol Methods Protoc 2020; 5:bpaa003. [PMID: 32395632 PMCID: PMC7200835 DOI: 10.1093/biomethods/bpaa003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The CRISPR/Cas system has recently emerged as a powerful tool to engineer the genome of an organism. The system is adopted from bacteria where it confers immunity against invading foreign DNA. This work reports the first successful use of the CRISPR/Cas system in Caenorhabditis briggsae (a cousin of the well-known nematode C. elegans), to generate mutations via non-homologous end joining. We recovered deletion alleles of several conserved genes by microinjecting plasmids that express Cas9 endonuclease and an engineered CRISPR RNA corresponding to the DNA sequence to be cleaved. Evidence for somatic mutations and off-target mutations are also reported. Our approach allows for the generation of loss-of-function mutations in C. briggsae genes thereby facilitating a comparative study of gene function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Culp
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S-4K1, Canada
| | - Cory Richman
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S-4K1, Canada
| | - Devika Sharanya
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S-4K1, Canada
| | - Nikita Jhaveri
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S-4K1, Canada
| | - Wouter van den Berg
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S-4K1, Canada
| | - Bhagwati P Gupta
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S-4K1, Canada
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28
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Kroll JR, Tsiaxiras J, van Zon JS. Variability in β-catenin pulse dynamics in a stochastic cell fate decision in C. elegans. Dev Biol 2020; 461:110-123. [PMID: 32032579 PMCID: PMC7203549 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
During development, cell fate decisions are often highly stochastic, but with the frequency of the different possible fates tightly controlled. To understand how signaling networks control the cell fate frequency of such random decisions, we studied the stochastic decision of the Caenorhabditis elegans P3.p cell to either fuse to the hypodermis or assume vulva precursor cell fate. Using time-lapse microscopy to measure the single-cell dynamics of two key inhibitors of cell fusion, the Hox gene LIN-39 and Wnt signaling through the β-catenin BAR-1, we uncovered significant variability in the dynamics of LIN-39 and BAR-1 levels. Most strikingly, we observed that BAR-1 accumulated in a single, 1–4 h pulse at the time of the P3.p cell fate decision, with strong variability both in pulse slope and time of pulse onset. We found that the time of BAR-1 pulse onset was delayed relative to the time of cell fusion in mutants with low cell fusion frequency, linking BAR-1 pulse timing to cell fate outcome. Overall, a model emerged where animal-to-animal variability in LIN-39 levels and BAR-1 pulse dynamics biases cell fate by modulating their absolute level at the time cell fusion is induced. Our results highlight that timing of cell signaling dynamics, rather than its average level or amplitude, could play an instructive role in determining cell fate. The fate of the C. elegans P3.p cell is stochastic. β-catenin (BAR-1) accumulated in P3.p at the time of the cell fate decision. There is variability in dynamics of Hox and β-catenin levels during the decision. BAR-1 accumulated with variable pulse slope and time of pulse onset. Pulse dynamics bias cell fate at the time of the cell fate decision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason R Kroll
- Department of Living Matter, AMOLF, 1098 XG, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jasonas Tsiaxiras
- Department of Living Matter, AMOLF, 1098 XG, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jeroen S van Zon
- Department of Living Matter, AMOLF, 1098 XG, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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29
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CRISPR editing of sftb-1/SF3B1 in Caenorhabditis elegans allows the identification of synthetic interactions with cancer-related mutations and the chemical inhibition of splicing. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1008464. [PMID: 31634348 PMCID: PMC6830814 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
SF3B1 is the most frequently mutated splicing factor in cancer. Mutations in SF3B1 likely confer clonal advantages to cancer cells but they may also confer vulnerabilities that can be therapeutically targeted. SF3B1 cancer mutations can be maintained in homozygosis in C. elegans, allowing synthetic lethal screens with a homogeneous population of animals. These mutations cause alternative splicing (AS) defects in C. elegans, as it occurs in SF3B1-mutated human cells. In a screen, we identified RNAi of U2 snRNP components that cause synthetic lethality with sftb-1/SF3B1 mutations. We also detected synthetic interactions between sftb-1 mutants and cancer-related mutations in uaf-2/U2AF1 or rsp-4/SRSF2, demonstrating that this model can identify interactions between mutations that are mutually exclusive in human tumors. Finally, we have edited an SFTB-1 domain to sensitize C. elegans to the splicing modulators pladienolide B and herboxidiene. Thus, we have established a multicellular model for SF3B1 mutations amenable for high-throughput genetic and chemical screens.
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