1
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Ridges JT, Bladen J, King TD, Brown NC, Large CRL, Cooper JC, Jones AJ, Loppin B, Dubruille R, Phadnis N. Overdrive is essential for targeted sperm elimination by Segregation Distorter. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.04.597441. [PMID: 38895353 PMCID: PMC11185633 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.04.597441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Intra-genomic conflict driven by selfish chromosomes is a powerful force that shapes the evolution of genomes and species. In the male germline, many selfish chromosomes bias transmission in their own favor by eliminating spermatids bearing the competing homologous chromosomes. However, the mechanisms of targeted gamete elimination remain mysterious. Here, we show that Overdrive (Ovd), a gene required for both segregation distortion and male sterility in Drosophila pseudoobscura hybrids, is broadly conserved in Dipteran insects but dispensable for viability and fertility. In D. melanogaster, Ovd is required for targeted Responder spermatid elimination after the histone-to-protamine transition in the classical Segregation Distorter system. We propose that Ovd functions as a general spermatid quality checkpoint that is hijacked by independent selfish chromosomes to eliminate competing gametes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jackson T. Ridges
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Jackson Bladen
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Thomas D. King
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Nora C. Brown
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | | | - Jacob C. Cooper
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Amanda J. Jones
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Benjamin Loppin
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Modélisation de la Cellule, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR5239, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Raphaëlle Dubruille
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Modélisation de la Cellule, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR5239, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Nitin Phadnis
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
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2
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Su Q, Xu B, Chen X, Rokita SE. Misregulation of bromotyrosine compromises fertility in male Drosophila. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2322501121. [PMID: 38748578 PMCID: PMC11126969 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2322501121] [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: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Biological regulation often depends on reversible reactions such as phosphorylation, acylation, methylation, and glycosylation, but rarely halogenation. A notable exception is the iodination and deiodination of thyroid hormones. Here, we report detection of bromotyrosine and its subsequent debromination during Drosophila spermatogenesis. Bromotyrosine is not evident when Drosophila express a native flavin-dependent dehalogenase that is homologous to the enzyme responsible for iodide salvage from iodotyrosine in mammals. Deletion or suppression of the dehalogenase-encoding condet (cdt) gene in Drosophila allows bromotyrosine to accumulate with no detectable chloro- or iodotyrosine. The presence of bromotyrosine in the cdt mutant males disrupts sperm individualization and results in decreased fertility. Transgenic expression of the cdt gene in late-staged germ cells rescues this defect and enhances tolerance of male flies to bromotyrosine. These results are consistent with reversible halogenation affecting Drosophila spermatogenesis in a process that had previously eluded metabolomic, proteomic, and genomic analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Su
- Department of Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
| | - Bing Xu
- Department of Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
| | - Xin Chen
- HHMI, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
- Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
| | - Steven E. Rokita
- Department of Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
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3
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Khan S, Mishra RK. Multigenerational Effect of Heat Stress on the Drosophila melanogaster Sperm Proteome. J Proteome Res 2024. [PMID: 38743012 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.4c00205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
The effect of the parental environment on offspring through non-DNA sequence-based mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, chromatin modifications, noncoding RNAs, and proteins, could only be established after the conception of "epigenetics". These effects are now broadly referred to as multigenerational epigenetic effects. Despite accumulating evidence of male gamete-mediated multigenerational epigenetic inheritance, little is known about the factors that underlie heat stress-induced multigenerational epigenetic inheritance via the male germline in Drosophila. In this study, we address this gap by utilizing an established heat stress paradigm in Drosophila and investigating its multigenerational effect on the sperm proteome. Our findings indicate that multigenerational heat stress during the early embryonic stage significantly influences proteins in the sperm associated with translation, chromatin organization, microtubule-based processes, and the generation of metabolites and energy. Assessment of life-history traits revealed that reproductive fitness and stress tolerance remained unaffected by multigenerational heat stress. Our study offers initial insights into the chromatin-based epigenetic mechanisms as a plausible means of transmitting heat stress memory through the male germline in Drosophila. Furthermore, it sheds light on the repercussions of early embryonic heat stress on male reproductive potential. The data sets from this study are available at the ProteomeXchange Consortium under the identifier PXD037488.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shagufta Khan
- CSIR - Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad-500 007, Telangana, India
| | - Rakesh K Mishra
- CSIR - Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad-500 007, Telangana, India
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, Bengaluru-560 065, Karnataka, India
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4
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Xu D, Pan J, Fang Y, Zhao L, Su Y. RpS25 is required for sperm elongation and individualization during Drosophila spermatogenesis. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 702:149633. [PMID: 38341921 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149633] [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: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
Ribosomal protein 25 (RPS25) has been related to male fertility diseases in humans. However, the role of RPS25 in spermatogenesis has yet to be well understood. RpS25 is evolutionarily highly conserved from flies to humans through sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree construction. In this study, we found that RpS25 plays a critical role in Drosophila spermatogenesis and its knockdown leads to male sterility. Examination of each stage of spermatogenesis from RpS25-knockdown flies showed that RpS25 was not required for initial germline cell divisions, but was required for spermatid elongation and individualization. In RpS25-knockdown testes, the average length of cyst elongation was shortened, the spermatid nuclei bundling was disrupted, and the assembly of individualization complex from actin cones failed, resulting in the failure of mature sperm production. Our data revealed an essential role of RpS25 during Drosophila spermatogenesis through regulating spermatid elongation and individualization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Xu
- Key Laboratory of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity (Ministry of Education) and Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China; College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Jiahui Pan
- Key Laboratory of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity (Ministry of Education) and Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China; College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Yang Fang
- Key Laboratory of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity (Ministry of Education) and Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China; College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Long Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity (Ministry of Education) and Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China; Fisheries College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
| | - Ying Su
- Key Laboratory of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity (Ministry of Education) and Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China; College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
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5
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Maaroufi HO, Pauchova L, Lin YH, Wu BCH, Rouhova L, Kucerova L, Vieira LC, Renner M, Sehadova H, Hradilova M, Zurovec M. Mutation in Drosophila concentrative nucleoside transporter 1 alters spermatid maturation and mating behavior. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:945572. [PMID: 36105362 PMCID: PMC9467524 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.945572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Concentrative nucleoside transporters (Cnts) are unidirectional carriers that mediate the energy-costly influx of nucleosides driven by the transmembrane sodium gradient. Cnts are transmembrane proteins that share a common structural organization and are found in all phyla. Although there have been studies on Cnts from a biochemical perspective, no deep research has examined their role at the organismal level. Here, we investigated the role of the Drosophila melanogaster cnt1 gene, which is specifically expressed in the testes. We used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate a mutation in the cnt1 gene. The cnt1 mutants exhibited defects in the duration of copulation and spermatid maturation, which significantly impaired male fertility. The most striking effect of the cnt1 mutation in spermatid maturation was an abnormal structure of the sperm tail, in which the formation of major and minor mitochondrial derivatives was disrupted. Our results demonstrate the importance of cnt1 in male fertility and suggest that the observed defects in mating behavior and spermatogenesis are due to alterations in nucleoside transport and associated metabolic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houda Ouns Maaroufi
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Lucie Pauchova
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Yu-Hsien Lin
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Bulah Chia-Hsiang Wu
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Lenka Rouhova
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Lucie Kucerova
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Ligia Cota Vieira
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Marek Renner
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Hana Sehadova
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Miluse Hradilova
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Michal Zurovec
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
- *Correspondence: Michal Zurovec,
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6
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Rapid Divergence of Key Spermatogenesis Genes in nasuta-Subgroup of Drosophila. J Mol Evol 2021; 90:2-16. [PMID: 34807291 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-021-10037-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The crosses between closely related Drosophila species usually produce sterile hybrid males with spermatogenesis disrupted at post-meiotic phase, especially in sperm individualization stage than the pre-meiotic stage. This is possibly due to the rapid interspecies divergence of male sex and reproduction-related genes. Here we annotated 11 key spermatogenesis genes in 35 strains of species belonging to nasuta-subgroup of Drosophila, where many interspecies crosses produce sterile males. We characterized the divergence and polymorphism in the protein coding regions by employing gene-wide, codon-wide, and lineage-specific selection analysis to test the mode and strength of selection acting on these genes. Our analysis showed signature of positive selection at bag of marbles (bam) and benign gonial cell neoplasma (bgcn) despite the selection constrains and the absence of endosymbiont infection which could potentially drive rapid divergence due to an arms race while roughex (rux) showed lineage-specific rapid divergence in frontal sheen complex of nasuta-subgroup. cookie monster (comr) showed rapid divergence consistent with the possibility of meiotic arrest observed in sterile hybrids of Drosophila species. Rapid divergence observed at don juan (dj) and Mst98Ca-like was consistent with fused sperm-tail abnormality observed in the hybrids of Drosophila nasuta and Drosophila albomicans. These findings highlight the potential role of rapid nucleotide divergence in bringing about hybrid incompatibility in the form of male sterility; however, additional genetic manipulation studies can widen our understanding of hybrid incompatibilities. Furthermore, our study emphasizes the importance of young species belonging to nasuta-subgroup of Drosophila in studying post-zygotic reproductive isolation mechanisms.
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7
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Ibaraki K, Nakatsuka M, Ohsako T, Watanabe M, Miyazaki Y, Shirakami M, Karr TL, Sanuki R, Tomaru M, Takano-Shimizu-Kouno T. A cross-species approach for the identification of Drosophila male sterility genes. G3 GENES|GENOMES|GENETICS 2021; 11:6288452. [PMID: 34849808 PMCID: PMC8496277 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Male reproduction encompasses many essential cellular processes and interactions. As a focal point for these events, sperm offer opportunities for advancing our understanding of sexual reproduction at multiple levels during development. Using male sterility genes identified in human, mouse, and fruit fly databases as a starting point, 103 Drosophila melanogaster genes were screened for their association with male sterility by tissue-specific RNAi knockdown and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis. This list included 56 genes associated with male infertility in the human databases, but not found in the Drosophila database, resulting in the discovery of 63 new genes associated with male fertility in Drosophila. The phenotypes identified were categorized into six distinct classes affecting sperm development. Interestingly, the second largest class (Class VI) caused sterility despite apparently normal testis and sperm morphology suggesting that these proteins may have functions in the mature sperm following spermatogenesis. We focused on one such gene, Rack 1, and found that it plays an important role in two developmental periods, in early germline cells or germline stem cells and in spermatogenic cells or sperm. Taken together, many genes are yet to be identified and their role in male reproduction, especially after ejaculation, remains to be elucidated in Drosophila, where a wealth of data from human and other model organisms would be useful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimihide Ibaraki
- Applied Biology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
| | - Mihoko Nakatsuka
- Applied Biology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
| | - Takashi Ohsako
- Advanced Technology Center, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
| | - Masahide Watanabe
- Department of Drosophila Genomics and Genetic Resources, Advanced Insect Research Promotion Center, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 616-8354, Japan
| | - Yu Miyazaki
- Applied Biology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
| | - Machi Shirakami
- Applied Biology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
| | - Timothy L Karr
- Mass Spectroscopy Core Facility, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85257-7205, USA
| | - Rikako Sanuki
- Department of Drosophila Genomics and Genetic Resources, Advanced Insect Research Promotion Center, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 616-8354, Japan
- Faculty of Applied Biology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
| | - Masatoshi Tomaru
- Department of Drosophila Genomics and Genetic Resources, Advanced Insect Research Promotion Center, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 616-8354, Japan
- Faculty of Applied Biology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Takano-Shimizu-Kouno
- Department of Drosophila Genomics and Genetic Resources, Advanced Insect Research Promotion Center, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 616-8354, Japan
- Faculty of Applied Biology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
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8
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Nandi A, Chowdhuri DK. Cadmium mediated redox modulation in germline stem cells homeostasis affects reproductive health of Drosophila males. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2021; 402:123737. [PMID: 33254766 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Maintenance of male germline stem cells (GSCs) homeostasis is crucial for successful reproductive life of adults. New insights gained on dysfunction in stem cell maintenance could be the basis of stem cell dependent ailment during adulthood. Cadmium (Cd), a reported male reproductive toxicant, has been explored inadequately for its impact on male GSCs maintenance. The present study, therefore, has been aimed to evaluate the adverse effect of Cd on the homeostasis of GSCs by using Drosophila testis as an in vivo model. Following developmental exposure of environmentally relevant concentrations of Cd (5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 μg/mL) to Drosophila, we showed that a significantly increased level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at 20.0 μg/mL of Cd resulted in alteration of GSCs number accompanied by inappropriate differentiation leading to reduced sperm number and eventually poor reproductive performance in exposed organism. Rescuing effect was evident by overexpressing sod in the early germ cell stage. The study suggests that an alteration in GSCs homeostasis due to redox imbalance plays a pivotal role in Cd induced failure in male fertility. The study further advocates for the use of Drosophila as an alternative animal model for in vivo evaluation of male GSCs toxicity with minimal ethical concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abik Nandi
- Embryotoxicology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Vishvigyan Bhavan, 31, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow 226 001, Uttar Pradesh, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201 002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Debapratim Kar Chowdhuri
- Embryotoxicology Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Group, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Vishvigyan Bhavan, 31, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow 226 001, Uttar Pradesh, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201 002, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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9
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Xavier MJ, Salas-Huetos A, Oud MS, Aston KI, Veltman JA. Disease gene discovery in male infertility: past, present and future. Hum Genet 2021; 140:7-19. [PMID: 32638125 PMCID: PMC7864819 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-020-02202-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Identifying the genes causing male infertility is important to increase our biological understanding as well as the diagnostic yield and clinical relevance of genetic testing in this disorder. While significant progress has been made in some areas, mainly in our knowledge of the genes underlying rare qualitative sperm defects, the same cannot be said for the genetics of quantitative sperm defects. Technological advances and approaches in genomics are critical for the process of disease gene identification. In this review we highlight the impact of various technological developments on male infertility gene discovery as well as functional validation, going from the past to the present and the future. In particular, we draw attention to the use of unbiased genomics approaches, the development of increasingly relevant functional assays and the importance of large-scale international collaboration to advance disease gene identification in male infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Xavier
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
| | - A Salas-Huetos
- Andrology and IVF Laboratory, Department of Surgery (Urology), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
| | - M S Oud
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - K I Aston
- Andrology and IVF Laboratory, Department of Surgery (Urology), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA.
| | - J A Veltman
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.
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10
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Li W, Liang J, Outeda P, Turner S, Wakimoto BT, Watnick T. A genetic screen in Drosophila reveals an unexpected role for the KIP1 ubiquitination-promoting complex in male fertility. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1009217. [PMID: 33378371 PMCID: PMC7802972 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A unifying feature of polycystin-2 channels is their localization to both primary and motile cilia/flagella. In Drosophila melanogaster, the fly polycystin-2 homologue, Amo, is an ER protein early in sperm development but the protein must ultimately cluster at the flagellar tip in mature sperm to be fully functional. Male flies lacking appropriate Amo localization are sterile due to abnormal sperm motility and failure of sperm storage. We performed a forward genetic screen to identify additional proteins that mediate ciliary trafficking of Amo. Here we report that Drosophila homologues of KPC1 and KPC2, which comprise the mammalian KIP1 ubiquitination-promoting complex (KPC), form a conserved unit that is required for the sperm tail tip localization of Amo. Male flies lacking either KPC1 or KPC2 phenocopy amo mutants and are sterile due to a failure of sperm storage. KPC is a heterodimer composed of KPC1, an E3 ligase, and KPC2 (or UBAC1), an adaptor protein. Like their mammalian counterparts Drosophila KPC1 and KPC2 physically interact and they stabilize one another at the protein level. In flies, KPC2 is monoubiquitinated and phosphorylated and this modified form of the protein is located in mature sperm. Neither KPC1 nor KPC2 directly interact with Amo but they are detected in proximity to Amo at the tip of the sperm flagellum. In summary we have identified a new complex that is involved in male fertility in Drosophila melanogaster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weizhe Li
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Jinqing Liang
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Patricia Outeda
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Stacey Turner
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Barbara T. Wakimoto
- Department of Biology, University of Washington Seattle, WA, United States of America
| | - Terry Watnick
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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11
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Mei X, Singson AW. The molecular underpinnings of fertility: Genetic approaches in Caenorhabditis elegans. ADVANCED GENETICS (HOBOKEN, N.J.) 2020; 2:e10034. [PMID: 34322672 PMCID: PMC8315475 DOI: 10.1002/ggn2.10034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The study of mutations that impact fertility has a catch-22. Fertility mutants are often lost since they cannot simply be propagated and maintained. This has hindered progress in understanding the genetics of fertility. In mice, several molecules are found to be required for the interactions between the sperm and egg, with JUNO and IZUMO1 being the only known receptor pair on the egg and sperm surface, respectively. In Caenorhabditis elegans, a total of 12 proteins on the sperm or oocyte have been identified to mediate gamete interactions. Majority of these genes were identified through mutants isolated from genetic screens. In this review, we summarize the several key screening strategies that led to the identification of fertility mutants in C. elegans and provide a perspective about future research using genetic approaches. Recently, advancements in new technologies such as high-throughput sequencing and Crispr-based genome editing tools have accelerated the molecular, cell biological, and mechanistic analysis of fertility genes. We review how these valuable tools advance our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of fertilization. We draw parallels of the molecular mechanisms of fertilization between worms and mammals and argue that our work in C. elegans complements fertility research in humans and other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Mei
- Department of GeneticsWaksman Institute, Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyPiscatawayNew JerseyUSA
| | - Andrew W. Singson
- Department of GeneticsWaksman Institute, Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyPiscatawayNew JerseyUSA
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12
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Hylton CA, Hansen K, Bourgeois A, Tomkiel Dean JE. Sex Chromosome Pairing Mediated by Euchromatic Homology in Drosophila Male Meiosis. Genetics 2020; 214:605-616. [PMID: 31915134 PMCID: PMC7054017 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.302936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Diploid germline cells must undergo two consecutive meiotic divisions before differentiating as haploid sex cells. During meiosis I, homologs pair and remain conjoined until segregation at anaphase. Drosophila melanogaster spermatocytes are unique in that the canonical events of meiosis I including synaptonemal complex formation, double-strand DNA breaks, and chiasmata are absent. Sex chromosomes pair at intergenic spacer sequences within the ribosomal DNA (rDNA). Autosomes pair at numerous euchromatic homologies, but not at heterochromatin, suggesting that pairing may be limited to specific sequences. However, previous work generated from genetic segregation assays or observations of late prophase I/prometaphase I chromosome associations fail to differentiate pairing from maintenance of pairing (conjunction). Here, we separately examined the capability of X euchromatin to pair and conjoin using an rDNA-deficient X and a series of Dp(1;Y) chromosomes. Genetic assays showed that duplicated X euchromatin can substitute for endogenous rDNA pairing sites. Segregation was not proportional to homology length, and pairing could be mapped to nonoverlapping sequences within a single Dp(1;Y) Using fluorescence in situ hybridization to early prophase I spermatocytes, we showed that pairing occurred with high fidelity at all homologies tested. Pairing was unaffected by the presence of X rDNA, nor could it be explained by rDNA magnification. By comparing genetic and cytological data, we determined that centromere proximal pairings were best at segregation. Segregation was dependent on the conjunction protein Stromalin in Meiosis, while the autosomal-specific Teflon was dispensable. Overall, our results suggest that pairing may occur at all homologies, but there may be sequence or positional requirements for conjunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A Hylton
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina 27402
| | - Katie Hansen
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina 27402
| | - Andrew Bourgeois
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina 27402
| | - John E Tomkiel Dean
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina 27402
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13
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Kanippayoor RL, Alpern JHM, Moehring AJ. A common suite of cellular abnormalities and spermatogenetic errors in sterile hybrid males in Drosophila. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192291. [PMID: 31964309 PMCID: PMC7015338 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
When two species interbreed, the resulting hybrid offspring are often sterile, with the heterogametic (e.g. XY) hybrid usually being more severely affected. The prevailing theory for this pattern of sterility evokes divergent changes in separate lineages having maladaptive interactions when placed together in a hybrid individual, with recessive factors on the sex chromosome interacting with dominant factors on the autosomes. The effect of these interactions on gametogenesis should not be uniform across species pairs unless genetic divergence follows the same paths in different lineages or if a specific stage of gametogenesis is more susceptible to detrimental genetic interactions. Here, we perform a detailed cellular characterization of hybrid male sterility across three recently diverged species pairs of Drosophila. Across all three pairs, sterile hybrid sperm are alive but exhibit rapid nuclear de-condensation with age, with active, but non-differentiated, mitochondria. Surprisingly, all three sets of interspecies hybrids produce half of the number of sperm per round of spermatogenesis, with each sperm cell containing two tails. We identify non-disjunction failures during meiosis I as the likely cause. Thus, errors during meiosis I may be a general phenomenon underlying Drosophila male sterility, indicating either a heightened sensitivity of this spermatogenic stage to failure, or a basis to sterility other than the prevailing model.
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14
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Sênos Demarco R, Jones DL. Mitochondrial fission regulates germ cell differentiation by suppressing ROS-mediated activation of Epidermal Growth Factor Signaling in the Drosophila larval testis. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19695. [PMID: 31873089 PMCID: PMC6927965 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55728-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria are essential organelles that have recently emerged as hubs for several metabolic and signaling pathways in the cell. Mitochondrial morphology is regulated by constant fusion and fission events to maintain a functional mitochondrial network and to remodel the mitochondrial network in response to external stimuli. Although the role of mitochondria in later stages of spermatogenesis has been investigated in depth, the role of mitochondrial dynamics in regulating early germ cell behavior is relatively less-well understood. We previously demonstrated that mitochondrial fusion is required for germline stem cell (GSC) maintenance in the Drosophila testis. Here, we show that mitochondrial fission is also important for regulating the maintenance of early germ cells in larval testes. Inhibition of Drp1 in early germ cells resulted in the loss of GSCs and spermatogonia due to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activation of the EGFR pathway in adjacent somatic cyst cells. EGFR activation contributed to premature germ cell differentiation. Our data provide insights into how mitochondrial dynamics can impact germ cell maintenance and differentiation via distinct mechanisms throughout development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Sênos Demarco
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - D Leanne Jones
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
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15
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Sechi S, Frappaolo A, Karimpour-Ghahnavieh A, Gottardo M, Burla R, Di Francesco L, Szafer-Glusman E, Schininà E, Fuller MT, Saggio I, Riparbelli MG, Callaini G, Giansanti MG. Drosophila Doublefault protein coordinates multiple events during male meiosis by controlling mRNA translation. Development 2019; 146:dev.183053. [PMID: 31645358 DOI: 10.1242/dev.183053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
During the extended prophase of Drosophila gametogenesis, spermatocytes undergo robust gene transcription and store many transcripts in the cytoplasm in a repressed state, until translational activation of select mRNAs in later steps of spermatogenesis. Here, we characterize the Drosophila Doublefault (Dbf) protein as a C2H2 zinc-finger protein, primarily expressed in testes, that is required for normal meiotic division and spermiogenesis. Loss of Dbf causes premature centriole disengagement and affects spindle structure, chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. We show that Dbf interacts with the RNA-binding protein Syncrip/hnRNPQ, a key regulator of localized translation in Drosophila We propose that the pleiotropic effects of dbf loss-of-function mutants are associated with the requirement of dbf function for translation of specific transcripts in spermatocytes. In agreement with this hypothesis, Dbf protein binds cyclin B mRNA and is essential for translation of cyclin B in mature spermatocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Sechi
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari del CNR, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Anna Frappaolo
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari del CNR, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Angela Karimpour-Ghahnavieh
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari del CNR, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Marco Gottardo
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università di Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Romina Burla
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Laura Di Francesco
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Edith Szafer-Glusman
- Departments of Developmental Biology and Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5329, USA
| | - Eugenia Schininà
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Margaret T Fuller
- Departments of Developmental Biology and Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5329, USA
| | - Isabella Saggio
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | | | - Giuliano Callaini
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche, Università di Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Giansanti
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari del CNR, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
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16
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Mageeney CM, Ware VC. Specialized eRpL22 paralogue-specific ribosomes regulate specific mRNA translation in spermatogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Biol Cell 2019; 30:2240-2253. [PMID: 31188709 PMCID: PMC6743460 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e19-02-0086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The functional significance of ribosome heterogeneity in development and differentiation is relatively unexplored. We present the first in vivo evidence of ribosome heterogeneity playing a role in specific mRNA translation in a multicellular eukaryote. Eukaryotic-specific ribosomal protein paralogues eRpL22 and eRpL22-like are essential in development and required for sperm maturation and fertility in Drosophila. eRpL22 and eRpL22-like roles in spermatogenesis are not completely interchangeable. Flies depleted of eRpL22 and rescued by eRpL22-like overexpression have reduced fertility, confirming that eRpL22-like cannot substitute fully for eRpL22 function, and that paralogues have functionally distinct roles, not yet defined. We investigated the hypothesis that specific RNAs differentially associate with eRpL22 or eRpL22-like ribosomes, thereby establishing distinct ribosomal roles. RNA-seq identified 12,051 transcripts (mRNAs/noncoding RNAs) with 50% being enriched on specific polysome types. Analysis of ∼10% of the most abundant mRNAs suggests ribosome specialization for translating groups of mRNAs expressed at specific stages of spermatogenesis. Further, we show enrichment of “model” eRpL22-like polysome-associated testis mRNAs can occur outside the germline within S2 cells transfected with eRpL22-like, indicating that germline-specific factors are not required for selective translation. This study reveals specialized roles in translation for eRpL22 and eRpL22-like ribosomes in germline differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vassie C Ware
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015
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17
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Gärtner SM, Hundertmark T, Nolte H, Theofel I, Eren-Ghiani Z, Tetzner C, Duchow TB, Rathke C, Krüger M, Renkawitz-Pohl R. Stage-specific testes proteomics of Drosophila melanogaster identifies essential proteins for male fertility. Eur J Cell Biol 2019; 98:103-115. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejcb.2019.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Revised: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
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18
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Drosophila Pif1A is essential for spermatogenesis and is the homolog of human CCDC157, a gene associated with idiopathic NOA. Cell Death Dis 2019; 10:125. [PMID: 30741974 PMCID: PMC6370830 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-019-1398-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Revised: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The dynamic process of spermatogenesis shows little variation between invertebrate models such as Drosophila, and vertebrate models such as mice and rats. In each case, germ stem cells undergo mitotic division to proliferate and then continue, via meiosis, through various stages of elongation and individualization from spermatogonia to spermatid to finally to form mature sperm. Mature sperm are then stored in the seminal vesicles for fertilization. Errors in any of these stages can lead to male infertility. Here, we identify that Drosophila Pif1A acts as a key regulator for sperm individualization. Loss of Pif1A leads to male sterility associated with irregular individualization complex and empty seminal vesicles without mature sperm. Pif1A is highly expressed in the testes of mated male adult flies and the Pif1A protein is expressed at a higher level in male than in female flies. Pif1A is homologous to mammalian coiled-coil domain-containing protein 157 (CCDC157), which is also enriched in the testes of humans and mice. Human CCDC157, with unknown function, was identified to be downregulated in men with idiopathic non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). We map the function of Drosophila Pif1A during spermatogenesis, showing that Pif1A is essential for spermatide individualization and involved in the regulation of the lipid metabolism genes. Our findings might be applicable for studying the function of CCDC157 in spermatogenesis and other aspects of human male fertility.
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19
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Disruption of INOS, a Gene Encoding myo-Inositol Phosphate Synthase, Causes Male Sterility in Drosophila melanogaster. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2018; 8:2913-2922. [PMID: 29991509 PMCID: PMC6118315 DOI: 10.1534/g3.118.200403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Inositol is a precursor for the phospholipid membrane component phosphatidylinositol (PI), involved in signal transduction pathways, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and osmoregulation. Alterations of inositol metabolism have been implicated in human reproductive issues, the therapeutic effects of drugs used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder, spinal cord defects, and diseases including diabetes and Alzheimer’s. The sole known inositol synthetic enzyme is myo-inositol synthase (MIPS), and the homolog in Drosophilia melanogaster is encoded by the Inos gene. Three identical deletion strains (inosΔDF/CyO) were constructed, confirmed by PCR and sequencing, and homozygotes (inosΔDF/inosΔDF) were shown to lack the transcript encoding the MIPS enzyme. Without inositol, homozygous inosΔDF deletion fertilized eggs develop only to the first-instar larval stage. When transferred as pupae to food without inositol, however, inosΔDF homozygotes die significantly sooner than wild-type flies. Even with dietary inositol the homozygous inosΔDF males are sterile. An inos allele, with a P-element inserted into the first intron, fails to complement this male sterile phenotype. An additional copy of the Inos gene inserted into another chromosome rescues all the phenotypes. These genetic and phenotypic analyses establish D. melanogaster as an excellent model organism in which to examine the role of inositol synthesis in development and reproduction.
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20
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Hofherr A, Seger C, Fitzpatrick F, Busch T, Michel E, Luan J, Osterried L, Linden F, Kramer-Zucker A, Wakimoto B, Schütze C, Wiedemann N, Artati A, Adamski J, Walz G, Kunji ERS, Montell C, Watnick T, Köttgen M. The mitochondrial transporter SLC25A25 links ciliary TRPP2 signaling and cellular metabolism. PLoS Biol 2018; 16:e2005651. [PMID: 30080851 PMCID: PMC6095617 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2005651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cilia are organelles specialized in movement and signal transduction. The ciliary transient receptor potential ion channel polycystin-2 (TRPP2) controls elementary cilia-mediated physiological functions ranging from male fertility and kidney development to left-right patterning. However, the molecular components translating TRPP2 channel-mediated Ca2+ signals into respective physiological functions are unknown. Here, we show that the Ca2+-regulated mitochondrial ATP-Mg/Pi solute carrier 25 A 25 (SLC25A25) acts downstream of TRPP2 in an evolutionarily conserved metabolic signaling pathway. We identify SLC25A25 as an essential component in this cilia-dependent pathway using a genome-wide forward genetic screen in Drosophila melanogaster, followed by a targeted analysis of SLC25A25 function in zebrafish left-right patterning. Our data suggest that TRPP2 ion channels regulate mitochondrial SLC25A25 transporters via Ca2+ establishing an evolutionarily conserved molecular link between ciliary signaling and mitochondrial metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Hofherr
- Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM), University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Claudia Seger
- Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Fiona Fitzpatrick
- Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Tilman Busch
- Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Michel
- Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Jingting Luan
- Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Lea Osterried
- Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Frieder Linden
- Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Albrecht Kramer-Zucker
- Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Barbara Wakimoto
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Conny Schütze
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ZBMZ, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Nils Wiedemann
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ZBMZ, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Anna Artati
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, Genome Analysis Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Jerzy Adamski
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, Genome Analysis Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- Lehrstuhl für Experimentelle Genetik, Technische Universität München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), München-Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Gerd Walz
- Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Edmund R. S. Kunji
- Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Craig Montell
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - Terry Watnick
- Division of Nephrology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Michael Köttgen
- Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
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21
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Dominado N, La Marca JE, Siddall NA, Heaney J, Tran M, Cai Y, Yu F, Wang H, Somers WG, Quinn LM, Hime GR. Rbf Regulates Drosophila Spermatogenesis via Control of Somatic Stem and Progenitor Cell Fate in the Larval Testis. Stem Cell Reports 2017; 7:1152-1163. [PMID: 27974223 PMCID: PMC5161748 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2016.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Revised: 11/17/2016] [Accepted: 11/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The Drosophila testis has been fundamental to understanding how stem cells interact with their endogenous microenvironment, or niche, to control organ growth in vivo. Here, we report the identification of two independent alleles for the highly conserved tumor suppressor gene, Retinoblastoma-family protein (Rbf), in a screen for testis phenotypes in X chromosome third-instar lethal alleles. Rbf mutant alleles exhibit overproliferation of spermatogonial cells, which is phenocopied by the molecularly characterized Rbf11 null allele. We demonstrate that Rbf promotes cell-cycle exit and differentiation of the somatic and germline stem cells of the testes. Intriguingly, depletion of Rbf specifically in the germline does not disrupt stem cell differentiation, rather Rbf loss of function in the somatic lineage drives overproliferation and differentiation defects in both lineages. Together our observations suggest that Rbf in the somatic lineage controls germline stem cell renewal and differentiation non-autonomously via essential roles in the microenvironment of the germline lineage. Rbf null testes exhibit failure of germline stem cells to differentiate Rbf expression in somatic cells of L3 testes rescues the GSC differentiation defect Somatic Rbf RNAi disrupts cyst stem cell and germline stem cell differentiation Somatic depletion of E2f1 rescues Rbf germline proliferation and differentiation
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Dominado
- Centre for Stem Cell Systems, Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - John E La Marca
- Department of Genetics, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia
| | - Nicole A Siddall
- Centre for Stem Cell Systems, Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - James Heaney
- Centre for Stem Cell Systems, Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Mai Tran
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Yu Cai
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore; Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Fengwei Yu
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Hongyan Wang
- Neuroscience & Behavioral Disorder Program, Duke-National University of Singapore, Singapore 169857, Singapore; Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
| | - W Gregory Somers
- Department of Genetics, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia
| | - Leonie M Quinn
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia.
| | - Gary R Hime
- Centre for Stem Cell Systems, Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia.
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22
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Napoletano F, Gibert B, Yacobi-Sharon K, Vincent S, Favrot C, Mehlen P, Girard V, Teil M, Chatelain G, Walter L, Arama E, Mollereau B. p53-dependent programmed necrosis controls germ cell homeostasis during spermatogenesis. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1007024. [PMID: 28945745 PMCID: PMC5629030 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2017] [Revised: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The importance of regulated necrosis in pathologies such as cerebral stroke and myocardial infarction is now fully recognized. However, the physiological relevance of regulated necrosis remains unclear. Here, we report a conserved role for p53 in regulating necrosis in Drosophila and mammalian spermatogenesis. We found that Drosophila p53 is required for the programmed necrosis that occurs spontaneously in mitotic germ cells during spermatogenesis. This form of necrosis involved an atypical function of the initiator caspase Dronc/Caspase 9, independent of its catalytic activity. Prevention of p53-dependent necrosis resulted in testicular hyperplasia, which was reversed by restoring necrosis in spermatogonia. In mouse testes, p53 was required for heat-induced germ cell necrosis, indicating that regulation of necrosis is a primordial function of p53 conserved from invertebrates to vertebrates. Drosophila and mouse spermatogenesis will thus be useful models to identify inducers of necrosis to treat cancers that are refractory to apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Napoletano
- Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, UMR5239 CNRS/Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, INSERM U1210, UMS 3444 Biosciences Lyon Gerland, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Benjamin Gibert
- Apoptosis, Cancer and Development Laboratory- Equipe labellisée ‘La Ligue’, LabEx DEVweCAN, Centre de Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Université de Lyon, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | - Keren Yacobi-Sharon
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Stéphane Vincent
- Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, UMR5239 CNRS/Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, INSERM U1210, UMS 3444 Biosciences Lyon Gerland, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Clémentine Favrot
- Apoptosis, Cancer and Development Laboratory- Equipe labellisée ‘La Ligue’, LabEx DEVweCAN, Centre de Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Université de Lyon, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | - Patrick Mehlen
- Apoptosis, Cancer and Development Laboratory- Equipe labellisée ‘La Ligue’, LabEx DEVweCAN, Centre de Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052-CNRS UMR5286, Université de Lyon, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | - Victor Girard
- Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, UMR5239 CNRS/Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, INSERM U1210, UMS 3444 Biosciences Lyon Gerland, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Margaux Teil
- Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, UMR5239 CNRS/Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, INSERM U1210, UMS 3444 Biosciences Lyon Gerland, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Gilles Chatelain
- Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, UMR5239 CNRS/Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, INSERM U1210, UMS 3444 Biosciences Lyon Gerland, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Ludivine Walter
- Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, UMR5239 CNRS/Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, INSERM U1210, UMS 3444 Biosciences Lyon Gerland, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Eli Arama
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Bertrand Mollereau
- Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, UMR5239 CNRS/Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, INSERM U1210, UMS 3444 Biosciences Lyon Gerland, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
- * E-mail:
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23
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Gubala AM, Schmitz JF, Kearns MJ, Vinh TT, Bornberg-Bauer E, Wolfner MF, Findlay GD. The Goddard and Saturn Genes Are Essential for Drosophila Male Fertility and May Have Arisen De Novo. Mol Biol Evol 2017; 34:1066-1082. [PMID: 28104747 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
New genes arise through a variety of mechanisms, including the duplication of existing genes and the de novo birth of genes from noncoding DNA sequences. While there are numerous examples of duplicated genes with important functional roles, the functions of de novo genes remain largely unexplored. Many newly evolved genes are expressed in the male reproductive tract, suggesting that these evolutionary innovations may provide advantages to males experiencing sexual selection. Using testis-specific RNA interference, we screened 11 putative de novo genes in Drosophila melanogaster for effects on male fertility and identified two, goddard and saturn, that are essential for spermatogenesis and sperm function. Goddard knockdown (KD) males fail to produce mature sperm, while saturn KD males produce few sperm, and these function inefficiently once transferred to females. Consistent with a de novo origin, both genes are identifiable only in Drosophila and are predicted to encode proteins with no sequence similarity to any annotated protein. However, since high levels of divergence prevented the unambiguous identification of the noncoding sequences from which each gene arose, we consider goddard and saturn to be putative de novo genes. Within Drosophila, both genes have been lost in certain lineages, but show conserved, male-specific patterns of expression in the species in which they are found. Goddard is consistently found in single-copy and evolves under purifying selection. In contrast, saturn has diversified through gene duplication and positive selection. These data suggest that de novo genes can acquire essential roles in male reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Gubala
- Department of Biology, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA
| | - Jonathan F Schmitz
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Group, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Tery T Vinh
- Department of Biology, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA
| | - Erich Bornberg-Bauer
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Group, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Mariana F Wolfner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
| | - Geoffrey D Findlay
- Department of Biology, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA.,Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
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Specification and spatial arrangement of cells in the germline stem cell niche of the Drosophila ovary depend on the Maf transcription factor Traffic jam. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1006790. [PMID: 28542174 PMCID: PMC5459507 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Revised: 06/05/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Germline stem cells in the Drosophila ovary are maintained by a somatic niche. The niche is structurally and functionally complex and contains four cell types, the escort, cap, and terminal filament cells and the newly identified transition cell. We find that the large Maf transcription factor Traffic jam (Tj) is essential for determining niche cell fates and architecture, enabling each niche in the ovary to support a normal complement of 2–3 germline stem cells. In particular, we focused on the question of how cap cells form. Cap cells express Tj and are considered the key component of a mature germline stem cell niche. We conclude that Tj controls the specification of cap cells, as the complete loss of Tj function caused the development of additional terminal filament cells at the expense of cap cells, and terminal filament cells developed cap cell characteristics when induced to express Tj. Further, we propose that Tj controls the morphogenetic behavior of cap cells as they adopted the shape and spatial organization of terminal filament cells but otherwise appeared to retain their fate when Tj expression was only partially reduced. Our data indicate that Tj contributes to the establishment of germline stem cells by promoting the cap cell fate, and controls the stem cell-carrying capacity of the niche by regulating niche architecture. Analysis of the interactions between Tj and the Notch (N) pathway indicates that Tj and N have distinct functions in the cap cell specification program. We propose that formation of cap cells depends on the combined activities of Tj and the N pathway, with Tj promoting the cap cell fate by blocking the terminal filament cell fate, and N supporting cap cells by preventing the escort cell fate and/or controlling the number of cap cell precursors. Establishment and maintenance of stem cells often depends on associated niche cells. The germline stem cell niche of the Drosophila ovary has been a long-standing model for the analysis of the interactions between stem cells and niche cells. Surprisingly little is known, however, about the mechanisms that pattern this niche, leading to the specification of different niche cell types and to their distinct arrangement around the stem cells. The observation that Tj is expressed at different levels in the different cell types of the niche motivated us to ask what contribution this transcription factor makes to the formation of the niche. Our data suggest that Tj activity is needed for the presence of escort cells and for the correct specification of cap cells but appears to be dispensable for the formation of terminal filament cells in the germline stem cell niche. Moreover, our analysis indicates that the establishment of the cap cell fate depends on the cooperation between Tj and the N signaling pathway. We conclude that Tj regulates the germline stem cell carrying capacity of the niche by controlling the fate and the spatial arrangement of niche cells.
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Bundgaard J, Barker JSF. Genetic variation for resistance to high temperature stress of mature sperm - a study in Drosophila. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0173990. [PMID: 28358879 PMCID: PMC5373573 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic variation for resistance to heat stress has been found for a number of life-history components in Drosophila species. For male and female fertility (or sterility), stress resistance of the parents is confounded with stress resistance of the haploid gametes. Many genes are known to influence male fertility in Drosophila melanogaster. Some may carry temperature sensitive alleles that reduce fertility through effects on mature sperm when exposed to heat stress. In this study, sperm from each of 320 males were either not heat shocked (control) or exposed to a heat shock (36.9°C for 2 hours) either in the male testes or in the female reproductive tract. We did not detect any temperature sensitive sterility alleles. These results are relevant in relation to haploid gene expression and the findings of considerable amounts of mRNA in mature sperm, potentially important for sperm function and fertilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jørgen Bundgaard
- Section for Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, Aarhus, Denmark
- * E-mail:
| | - J. S. F. Barker
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
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26
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Khire A, Jo KH, Kong D, Akhshi T, Blachon S, Cekic AR, Hynek S, Ha A, Loncarek J, Mennella V, Avidor-Reiss T. Centriole Remodeling during Spermiogenesis in Drosophila. Curr Biol 2016; 26:3183-3189. [PMID: 28094036 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 07/06/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The first cell of an animal (zygote) requires centrosomes that are assembled from paternally inherited centrioles and maternally inherited pericentriolar material (PCM) [1]. In some animals, sperm centrioles with typical ultrastructure are the origin of the first centrosomes in the zygote [2-4]. In other animals, however, sperm centrioles lose their proteins and are thought to be degenerated and non-functional during spermiogenesis [5, 6]. Here, we show that the two sperm centrioles (the giant centriole [GC] and the proximal centriole-like structure [PCL]) in Drosophila melanogaster are remodeled during spermiogenesis through protein enrichment and ultrastructure modification in parallel to previously described centrosomal reduction [7]. We found that the ultrastructure of the matured sperm (spermatozoa) centrioles is modified dramatically and that the PCL does not resemble a typical centriole. We also describe a new phenomenon of Poc1 enrichment of the atypical centrioles in the spermatozoa. Using various mutants, protein expression during spermiogenesis, and RNAi knockdown of paternal Poc1, we found that paternal Poc1 enrichment is essential for the formation of centrioles during spermiogenesis and for the formation of centrosomes after fertilization in the zygote. Altogether, these findings demonstrate that the sperm centrioles are remodeled both in their protein composition and in ultrastructure, yet they are functional and are essential for normal embryogenesis in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atul Khire
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, 3050 W. Towerview Boulevard, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
| | - Kyoung H Jo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, 3050 W. Towerview Boulevard, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
| | - Dong Kong
- Laboratory of Protein Dynamics and Signaling, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702-1201, USA
| | - Tara Akhshi
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | | | - Anthony R Cekic
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, 3050 W. Towerview Boulevard, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
| | - Sarah Hynek
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, 3050 W. Towerview Boulevard, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
| | - Andrew Ha
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, 3050 W. Towerview Boulevard, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
| | - Jadranka Loncarek
- Laboratory of Protein Dynamics and Signaling, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702-1201, USA
| | - Vito Mennella
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Tomer Avidor-Reiss
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, 3050 W. Towerview Boulevard, Toledo, OH 43606, USA.
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Laurinyecz B, Péter M, Vedelek V, Kovács AL, Juhász G, Maróy P, Vígh L, Balogh G, Sinka R. Reduced expression of CDP-DAG synthase changes lipid composition and leads to male sterility in Drosophila. Open Biol 2016; 6:50169. [PMID: 26791243 PMCID: PMC4736822 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.150169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Drosophila spermatogenesis is an ideal system to study the effects of changes in lipid composition, because spermatid elongation and individualization requires extensive membrane biosynthesis and remodelling. The bulk of transcriptional activity is completed with the entry of cysts into meiotic division, which makes post-meiotic stages of spermatogenesis very sensitive to even a small reduction in gene products. In this study, we describe the effect of changes in lipid composition during spermatogenesis using a hypomorphic male sterile allele of the Drosophila CDP-DAG synthase (CdsA) gene. We find that the CdsA mutant shows defects in spermatid individualization and enlargement of mitochondria and the axonemal sheath of the spermatids. Furthermore, we could genetically rescue the male sterile phenotype by overexpressing Phosphatidylinositol synthase (dPIS) in a CdsA mutant background. The results of lipidomic and genetic analyses of the CdsA mutant highlight the importance of correct lipid composition during sperm development and show that phosphatidic acid levels are crucial in late stages of spermatogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mária Péter
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Viktor Vedelek
- Department of Genetics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Attila L Kovács
- Department of Anatomy, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gábor Juhász
- Department of Anatomy, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Péter Maróy
- Department of Genetics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - László Vígh
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Gábor Balogh
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Rita Sinka
- Department of Genetics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
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Vedelek V, Laurinyecz B, Kovács AL, Juhász G, Sinka R. Testis-Specific Bb8 Is Essential in the Development of Spermatid Mitochondria. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0161289. [PMID: 27529784 PMCID: PMC4986964 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 08/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria are essential organelles of developing spermatids in Drosophila, which undergo dramatic changes in size and shape after meiotic division, where mitochondria localized in the cytoplasm, migrate near the nucleus, aggregate, fuse and create the Nebenkern. During spermatid elongation the two similar mitochondrial derivatives of the Nebenkern start to elongate parallel to the axoneme. One of the elongated mitochondrial derivatives starts to lose volume and becomes the minor mitochondrial derivative, while the other one accumulates paracrystalline and becomes the major mitochondrial derivative. Proteins and intracellular environment that are responsible for cyst elongation and paracrystalline formation in the major mitochondrial derivative need to be identified. In this work we investigate the function of the testis specific big bubble 8 (bb8) gene during spermatogenesis. We show that a Minos element insertion in bb8 gene, a predicted glutamate dehydrogenase, causes recessive male sterility. We demonstrate bb8 mRNA enrichment in spermatids and the mitochondrial localisation of Bb8 protein during spermatogenesis. We report that megamitochondria develop in the homozygous mutant testes, in elongating spermatids. Ultrastructural analysis of the cross section of elongated spermatids shows enlarged mitochondria and the production of paracrystalline in both major and minor mitochondrial derivatives. Our results suggest that the Bb8 protein and presumably glutamate metabolism has a crucial role in the normal development and establishment of the identity of the mitochondrial derivatives during spermatid elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor Vedelek
- Department of Genetics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | | | - Attila L Kovács
- Department of Anatomy, Cell and Developmental Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gábor Juhász
- Department of Anatomy, Cell and Developmental Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Rita Sinka
- Department of Genetics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
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Pelegri F, Mullins MC. Genetic screens for mutations affecting adult traits and parental-effect genes. Methods Cell Biol 2016; 135:39-87. [PMID: 27443920 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2016.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Forward genetics remains an important approach for the unbiased identification of factors involved in biological pathways. Forward genetic analysis in the zebrafish has until now largely been restricted to the developmental period from zygotic genome activation through the end of embryogenesis. However, the use of the zebrafish as a model system for the analysis of late larval, juvenile and adult traits, including fertility and maternal and paternal effects, continues to gain momentum. Here, we describe two approaches, based on an F3-extended family and gynogenetic methods, that allow genetic screening for, and recovery of mutations affecting post-embryonic stages, including adult traits, fertility, and parental effects. For each approach, we also describe strategies to maintain, map, and molecularly clone the identified mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Pelegri
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - M C Mullins
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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30
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Brill JA, Yildirim S, Fabian L. Phosphoinositide signaling in sperm development. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2016; 59:2-9. [PMID: 27321976 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Phosphatidylinositol phosphates (PIPs)1 are membrane lipids with crucial roles during cell morphogenesis, including the establishment of cytoskeletal organization, membrane trafficking, cell polarity, cell-cycle control and signaling. Recent studies in mice (Mus musculus), fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and other organisms have defined germ cell intrinsic requirements for these lipids and their regulatory enzymes in multiple aspects of sperm development. In particular, PIP levels are crucial in germline stem cell maintenance, spermatogonial proliferation and survival, spermatocyte cytokinesis, spermatid polarization, sperm tail formation, nuclear shaping, and production of mature, motile sperm. Here, we briefly review the stages of spermatogenesis and discuss the roles of PIPs and their regulatory enzymes in male germ cell development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Brill
- Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G OA4, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada.
| | - Sukriye Yildirim
- Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G OA4, Canada.
| | - Lacramioara Fabian
- Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G OA4, Canada.
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31
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32
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The Deadbeat Paternal Effect of Uncapped Sperm Telomeres on Cell Cycle Progression and Chromosome Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 2016; 203:799-816. [PMID: 27029731 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.115.182436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2015] [Accepted: 03/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere-capping complexes (TCCs) protect the ends of linear chromosomes from illegitimate repair and end-to-end fusions and are required for genome stability. The identity and assembly of TCC components have been extensively studied, but whether TCCs require active maintenance in nondividing cells remains an open question. Here we show that Drosophila melanogaster requires Deadbeat (Ddbt), a sperm nuclear basic protein (SNBP) that is recruited to the telomere by the TCC and is required for TCC maintenance during genome-wide chromatin remodeling, which transforms spermatids to mature sperm. Ddbt-deficient males produce sperm lacking TCCs. Their offspring delay the initiation of anaphase as early as cycle 1 but progress through the first two cycles. Persistence of uncapped paternal chromosomes induces arrest at or around cycle 3. This early arrest can be rescued by selective elimination of paternal chromosomes and production of gynogenetic haploid or haploid mosaics. Progression past cycle 3 can also occur if embryos have reduced levels of the maternally provided checkpoint kinase Chk2. The findings provide insights into how telomere integrity affects the regulation of the earliest embryonic cell cycles. They also suggest that other SNBPs, including those in humans, may have analogous roles and manifest as paternal effects on embryo quality.
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33
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Lindsley DL, Hardy RW, Ripoll P, Lindsley D. Gonadal Mosaicism Induced by Chemical Treatment of Sperm in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 2016; 202:157-74. [PMID: 26163187 PMCID: PMC4701083 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.115.178046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2014] [Accepted: 07/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate interpretation of forward genetic screens of chromosomes exposed in mature spermatozoa to a mutagenic chemical requires understanding-incomplete to date-of how exposed chromosomes and their replicas proceed through early development stages from the fertilized ovum to establishment of the germline of the treated male's offspring. We describe a model for early embryonic development and establishment of the germline of Drosophila melanogaster and a model-validating experiment. Our model proposes that, barring repair, DNA strands modified by treatment with alkylating agents are stable and mutagenic. Each replication of an alkylated strand can result in misreplication and a mutant-bearing daughter nucleus. Daughter nuclei thenceforth replicate faithfully and their descendants comprise the embryonic syncytium. Of the 256 nuclei present after the eighth division, several migrate into the polar plasm at the posterior end of the embryo to found the germline. Based upon distribution of descendants of the alkylated strands, the misreplication rate, and the number of nuclei selected as germline progenitors, the frequency of gonadal mosaicism is predictable. Experimentally, we tracked chromosomes 2 and 3 from EMS-treated sperm through a number of generations, to characterize autosomal recessive lethal mutations and infer gonadal genetic content of the sons of treated males. Over 50% of 106 sons bore germlines that were singly, doubly, or triply mosaic for chromosome 2 or chromosome 3. These findings were consistent with our model, assuming a rate of misreplication between 0.65 and 0.80 at each replication of an alkylated strand. Crossing treated males to mismatch-repair-deficient females had no apparent effect on mutation rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan L Lindsley
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, California 92093
| | - Robert W Hardy
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, California 92093
| | - Pedro Ripoll
- Universidad Autónoma, de Madrid, 98049, Madrid, Spain
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34
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Wright GJ, Bianchi E. The challenges involved in elucidating the molecular basis of sperm-egg recognition in mammals and approaches to overcome them. Cell Tissue Res 2015. [PMID: 26224538 PMCID: PMC4700105 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-015-2243-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Sexual reproduction is used by many different organisms to create a new generation of genetically distinct progeny. Cells originating from separate sexes or mating types segregate their genetic material into haploid gametes which must then recognize and fuse with each other in a process known as fertilization to form a diploid zygote. Despite the central importance of fertilization, we know remarkably little about the molecular mechanisms that are involved in how gametes recognize each other, particularly in mammals, although the proteins that are displayed on their surfaces are almost certainly involved. This paucity of knowledge is largely due to both the unique biological properties of mammalian gametes (sperm and egg) which make them experimentally difficult to manipulate, and the technical challenges of identifying interactions between membrane-embedded cell surface receptor proteins. In this review, we will discuss our current knowledge of animal gamete recognition, highlighting where important contributions to our understanding were made, why particular model systems were helpful, and why progress in mammals has been particularly challenging. We discuss how the development of mammalian in vitro fertilization and targeted gene disruption in mice were important technological advances that triggered progress. We argue that approaches employed to discover novel interactions between cell surface gamete recognition proteins should account for the unusual biochemical properties of membrane proteins and the typically highly transient nature of their interactions. Finally, we describe how these principles were applied to identify Juno as the egg receptor for sperm Izumo1, an interaction that is essential for mammalian fertilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin J Wright
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Enrica Bianchi
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK.
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35
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Kimura S, Loppin B. Two bromodomain proteins functionally interact to recapitulate an essential BRDT-like function in Drosophila spermatocytes. Open Biol 2015; 5:140145. [PMID: 25652540 PMCID: PMC4345279 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.140145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In mammals, the testis-specific bromodomain and extra terminal (BET) protein BRDT is essential for spermatogenesis. In Drosophila, it was recently reported that the tBRD-1 protein is similarly required for male fertility. Interestingly, however, tBRD-1 has two conserved bromodomains in its N-terminus but it lacks an extra terminal (ET) domain characteristic of BET proteins. Here, using proteomics approaches to search for tBRD-1 interactors, we identified tBRD-2 as a novel testis-specific bromodomain protein. In contrast to tBRD-1, tBRD-2 contains a single bromodomain, but which is associated with an ET domain in its C-terminus. Strikingly, we show that tbrd-2 knock-out males are sterile and display aberrant meiosis in a way highly similar to tbrd-1 mutants. Furthermore, these two factors co-localize and are interdependent in spermatocytes. We propose that Drosophila tBRD-1 and tBRD-2 associate into a functional BET complex in spermatocytes, which recapitulates the activity of the single mammalian BRDT-like protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuhei Kimura
- Centre de Génétique et de Physiologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS UMR5534, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69622 Villeurbanne cedex, France
| | - Benjamin Loppin
- Centre de Génétique et de Physiologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS UMR5534, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69622 Villeurbanne cedex, France
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36
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Steinhauer J. Separating from the pack: Molecular mechanisms of Drosophila spermatid individualization. SPERMATOGENESIS 2015; 5:e1041345. [PMID: 26413413 PMCID: PMC4581072 DOI: 10.1080/21565562.2015.1041345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2015] [Revised: 03/26/2015] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Ben-David G, Miller E, Steinhauer J. Drosophila spermatid individualization is sensitive to temperature and fatty acid metabolism. SPERMATOGENESIS 2015; 5:e1006089. [PMID: 26413411 PMCID: PMC4581069 DOI: 10.1080/21565562.2015.1006089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2014] [Revised: 12/15/2014] [Accepted: 01/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Fatty acids are precursors of potent lipid signaling molecules. They are stored in membrane phospholipids and released by phospholipase A2 (PLA2). Lysophospholipid acyltransferases (ATs) oppose PLA2 by re-esterifying fatty acids into phospholipids, in a biochemical pathway known as the Lands Cycle. Drosophila Lands Cycle ATs oys and nes, as well as 7 predicted PLA2 genes, are expressed in the male reproductive tract. Oys and Nes are required for spermatid individualization. Individualization, which occurs after terminal differentiation, invests each spermatid in its own plasma membrane and removes the bulk of the cytoplasmic contents. We developed a quantitative assay to measure individualization defects. We demonstrate that individualization is sensitive to temperature and age but not to diet. Mutation of the cyclooxygenase Pxt, which metabolizes fatty acids to prostaglandins, also leads to individualization defects. In contrast, modulating phospholipid levels by mutation of the phosphatidylcholine lipase Swiss cheese (Sws) or the ethanolamine kinase Easily shocked (Eas) does not perturb individualization, nor does Sws overexpression. Our results suggest that fatty acid derived signals such as prostaglandins, whose abundance is regulated by the Lands Cycle, are important regulators of spermatogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eli Miller
- Department of Biology; Yeshiva University ; New York, NY USA
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Krishnan B, Thomas SE, Yan R, Yamada H, Zhulin IB, McKee BD. Sisters unbound is required for meiotic centromeric cohesion in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics 2014; 198:947-65. [PMID: 25194162 PMCID: PMC4224182 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.114.166009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2014] [Accepted: 08/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Regular meiotic chromosome segregation requires sister centromeres to mono-orient (orient to the same pole) during the first meiotic division (meiosis I) when homologous chromosomes segregate, and to bi-orient (orient to opposite poles) during the second meiotic division (meiosis II) when sister chromatids segregate. Both orientation patterns require cohesion between sister centromeres, which is established during meiotic DNA replication and persists until anaphase of meiosis II. Meiotic cohesion is mediated by a conserved four-protein complex called cohesin that includes two structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) subunits (SMC1 and SMC3) and two non-SMC subunits. In Drosophila melanogaster, however, the meiotic cohesion apparatus has not been fully characterized and the non-SMC subunits have not been identified. We have identified a novel Drosophila gene called sisters unbound (sunn), which is required for stable sister chromatid cohesion throughout meiosis. sunn mutations disrupt centromere cohesion during prophase I and cause high frequencies of non-disjunction (NDJ) at both meiotic divisions in both sexes. SUNN co-localizes at centromeres with the cohesion proteins SMC1 and SOLO in both sexes and is necessary for the recruitment of both proteins to centromeres. Although SUNN lacks sequence homology to cohesins, bioinformatic analysis indicates that SUNN may be a structural homolog of the non-SMC cohesin subunit stromalin (SA), suggesting that SUNN may serve as a meiosis-specific cohesin subunit. In conclusion, our data show that SUNN is an essential meiosis-specific Drosophila cohesion protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Badri Krishnan
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
| | - Sharon E Thomas
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
| | - Rihui Yan
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
| | - Hirotsugu Yamada
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
| | - Igor B Zhulin
- Genome Science and Technology Program, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 Computer Science and Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831
| | - Bruce D McKee
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 Genome Science and Technology Program, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
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Abstract
Meiosis entails sorting and separating both homologous and sister chromatids. The mechanisms for connecting sister chromatids and homologs during meiosis are highly conserved and include specialized forms of the cohesin complex and a tightly regulated homolog synapsis/recombination pathway designed to yield regular crossovers between homologous chromatids. Drosophila male meiosis is of special interest because it dispenses with large segments of the standard meiotic script, particularly recombination, synapsis and the associated structures. Instead, Drosophila relies on a unique protein complex composed of at least two novel proteins, SNM and MNM, to provide stable connections between homologs during meiosis I. Sister chromatid cohesion in Drosophila is mediated by cohesins, ring-shaped complexes that entrap sister chromatids. However, unlike other eukaryotes Drosophila does not rely on the highly conserved Rec8 cohesin in meiosis, but instead utilizes two novel cohesion proteins, ORD and SOLO, which interact with the SMC1/3 cohesin components in providing meiotic cohesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce D McKee
- Department of Biochemistry, Cellular & Molecular Biology; University of Tennessee; Knoxville TN USA ; Genome Science and Technology Program; University of Tennessee; Knoxville TN USA
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40
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Demarco RS, Eikenes ÅH, Haglund K, Jones DL. Investigating spermatogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. Methods 2014; 68:218-27. [PMID: 24798812 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2014.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2014] [Revised: 04/24/2014] [Accepted: 04/25/2014] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The process of spermatogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster provides a powerful model system to probe a variety of developmental and cell biological questions, such as the characterization of mechanisms that regulate stem cell behavior, cytokinesis, meiosis, and mitochondrial dynamics. Classical genetic approaches, together with binary expression systems, FRT-mediated recombination, and novel imaging systems to capture single cell behavior, are rapidly expanding our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms regulating all aspects of spermatogenesis. This methods chapter provides a detailed description of the system, a review of key questions that have been addressed or remain unanswered thus far, and an introduction to tools and techniques available to probe each stage of spermatogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael S Demarco
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Åsmund H Eikenes
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0379 Montebello, Norway; Centre for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, 0379 Montebello, Norway
| | - Kaisa Haglund
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0379 Montebello, Norway; Centre for Cancer Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, 0379 Montebello, Norway
| | - D Leanne Jones
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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41
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Sitaram P, Hainline SG, Lee LA. Cytological analysis of spermatogenesis: live and fixed preparations of Drosophila testes. J Vis Exp 2014:e51058. [PMID: 24473184 DOI: 10.3791/51058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful model system that has been widely used to elucidate a variety of biological processes. For example, studies of both the female and male germ lines of Drosophila have contributed greatly to the current understanding of meiosis as well as stem cell biology. Excellent protocols are available in the literature for the isolation and imaging of Drosophila ovaries and testes(3-12). Herein, methods for the dissection and preparation of Drosophila testes for microscopic analysis are described with an accompanying video demonstration. A protocol for isolating testes from the abdomen of adult males and preparing slides of live tissue for analysis by phase-contrast microscopy as well as a protocol for fixing and immunostaining testes for analysis by fluorescence microscopy are presented. These techniques can be applied in the characterization of Drosophila mutants that exhibit defects in spermatogenesis as well as in the visualization of subcellular localizations of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poojitha Sitaram
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
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42
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Vagin VV, Yu Y, Jankowska A, Luo Y, Wasik KA, Malone CD, Harrison E, Rosebrock A, Wakimoto BT, Fagegaltier D, Muerdter F, Hannon GJ. Minotaur is critical for primary piRNA biogenesis. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2013; 19:1064-77. [PMID: 23788724 PMCID: PMC3708527 DOI: 10.1261/rna.039669.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Piwi proteins and their associated small RNAs are essential for fertility in animals. In part, this is due to their roles in guarding germ cell genomes against the activity of mobile genetic elements. piRNA populations direct Piwi proteins to silence transposon targets and, as such, form a molecular code that discriminates transposons from endogenous genes. Information ultimately carried by piRNAs is encoded within genomic loci, termed piRNA clusters. These give rise to long, single-stranded, primary transcripts that are processed into piRNAs. Despite the biological importance of this pathway, neither the characteristics that define a locus as a source of piRNAs nor the mechanisms that catalyze primary piRNA biogenesis are well understood. We searched an EMS-mutant collection annotated for fertility phenotypes for genes involved in the piRNA pathway. Twenty-seven homozygous sterile strains showed transposon-silencing defects. One of these, which strongly impacted primary piRNA biogenesis, harbored a causal mutation in CG5508, a member of the Drosophila glycerol-3-phosphate O-acetyltransferase (GPAT) family. These enzymes catalyze the first acylation step on the path to the production of phosphatidic acid (PA). Though this pointed strongly to a function for phospholipid signaling in the piRNA pathway, a mutant form of CG5508, which lacks the GPAT active site, still functions in piRNA biogenesis. We have named this new biogenesis factor Minotaur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasily V. Vagin
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA
| | - Yang Yu
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA
| | - Anna Jankowska
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA
| | - Yicheng Luo
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, China P.R
| | - Kaja A. Wasik
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA
| | - Colin D. Malone
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA
| | - Emily Harrison
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA
| | - Adam Rosebrock
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA
| | - Barbara T. Wakimoto
- Department of Biology and Center for Developmental Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Delphine Fagegaltier
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA
| | - Felix Muerdter
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA
| | - Gregory J. Hannon
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA
- Corresponding authorE-mail
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Lu C, Kim J, Fuller MT. The polyubiquitin gene Ubi-p63E is essential for male meiotic cell cycle progression and germ cell differentiation in Drosophila. Development 2013; 140:3522-31. [PMID: 23884444 DOI: 10.1242/dev.098947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) regulates many biological pathways by post-translationally ubiquitylating proteins for degradation. Although maintaining a dynamic balance between free ubiquitin and ubiquitylated proteins is key to UPS function, the mechanisms that regulate ubiquitin homeostasis in different tissues through development are not clear. Here we show, via analysis of the magellan (magn) complementation group, that loss of function of the Drosophila polyubiquitin Ubi-p63E results specifically in meiotic arrest sterility in males. Ubi-p63E contributes predominantly to maintaining the free ubiquitin pool in testes. The function of Ubi-p63E is required cell-autonomously for proper meiotic chromatin condensation, cell cycle progression and spermatid differentiation. magn mutant germ cells develop normally to the spermatocyte stage but arrest at the G2/M transition of meiosis I, with lack of protein expression of the key meiotic cell cycle regulators Boule and Cyclin B. Loss of Ubi-p63E function did not strongly affect the spermatocyte transcription program regulated by the testis TBP-associated factor (tTAF) or meiosis arrest complex (tMAC) genes. Knocking down proteasome function specifically in spermatocytes caused a different meiotic arrest phenotype, suggesting that the magn phenotype might not result from general defects in protein degradation. Our results suggest a conserved role of polyubiquitin genes in male meiosis and a potential mechanism leading to meiosis I maturation arrest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenggang Lu
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5329, USA
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44
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Insco ML, Bailey AS, Kim J, Olivares GH, Wapinski OL, Tam CH, Fuller MT. A self-limiting switch based on translational control regulates the transition from proliferation to differentiation in an adult stem cell lineage. Cell Stem Cell 2013; 11:689-700. [PMID: 23122292 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2012.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2011] [Revised: 07/13/2012] [Accepted: 08/28/2012] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In adult stem cell lineages, progenitor cells commonly undergo mitotic transit amplifying (TA) divisions before terminal differentiation, allowing production of many differentiated progeny per stem cell division. Mechanisms that limit TA divisions and trigger the switch to differentiation may protect against cancer by preventing accumulation of oncogenic mutations in the proliferating population. Here we show that the switch from TA proliferation to differentiation in the Drosophila male germline stem cell lineage is mediated by translational control. The TRIM-NHL tumor suppressor homolog Mei-P26 facilitates accumulation of the differentiation regulator Bam in TA cells. In turn, Bam and its partner Bgcn bind the mei-P26 3' untranslated region and repress translation of mei-P26 in late TA cells. Thus, germ cells progress through distinct, sequential regulatory states, from Mei-P26 on/Bam off to Bam on/Mei-P26 off. TRIM-NHL homologs across species facilitate the switch from proliferation to differentiation, suggesting a conserved developmentally programmed tumor suppressor mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan L Insco
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5329, USA
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45
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Volpi S, Bongiorni S, Fabbretti F, Wakimoto BT, Prantera G. Drosophila rae1 is required for male meiosis and spermatogenesis. J Cell Sci 2013; 126:3541-51. [PMID: 23788425 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.111328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies of RAE1, a conserved WD40 protein, in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and mouse revealed a role in mRNA export and cell cycle progression in mitotic cells. Studies of RAE1 in Drosophila showed that the protein localizes to the nuclear envelope and is required for progression through the G1 phase of the cell cycle but not RNA export in tissue culture cells. Drosophila RAE1 also plays an essential developmental role, as it is required for viability and synaptic growth regulation as a component of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. Here we describe characterization of a new Drosophila rae1 mutant that is viable but results in male sterility. The mutant showed striking defects in primary spermatocyte nuclear integrity, meiotic chromosome condensation, segregation, and spindle morphology. These defects led to a failure to complete meiosis but allowed several aspects of spermatid differentiation to proceed, including axoneme formation and elongation. A GFP-RAE1 fusion protein that rescued most of the cytological defects showed a dynamic localization to the nuclear envelope, chromatin and other structures depending on the stage of spermatogenesis. A role for RAE1 in male meiosis, as well as mitotic cells, was also indicated by the defects induced by expression of rae1-RNAi. These studies in Drosophila provide the first evidence for an essential meiotic role of RAE1, and thus define RAE1 as a protein required for both meiotic and mitotic cell cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Volpi
- Department of Ecology and Biology, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
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46
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Abstract
Because spontaneous mutation is the source of all genetic diversity, measuring mutation rates can reveal how natural selection drives patterns of variation within and between species. We sequenced eight genomes produced by a mutation-accumulation experiment in Drosophila melanogaster. Our analysis reveals that point mutation and small indel rates vary significantly between the two different genetic backgrounds examined. We also find evidence that ∼2% of mutational events affect multiple closely spaced nucleotides. Unlike previous similar experiments, we were able to estimate genome-wide rates of large deletions and tandem duplications. These results suggest that, at least in inbred lines like those examined here, mutational pressures may result in net growth rather than contraction of the Drosophila genome. By comparing our mutation rate estimates to polymorphism data, we are able to estimate the fraction of new mutations that are eliminated by purifying selection. These results suggest that ∼99% of duplications and deletions are deleterious--making them 10 times more likely to be removed by selection than nonsynonymous mutations. Our results illuminate not only the rates of new small- and large-scale mutations, but also the selective forces that they encounter once they arise.
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47
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Ferguson J, Gomes S, Civetta A. Rapid male-specific regulatory divergence and down regulation of spermatogenesis genes in Drosophila species hybrids. PLoS One 2013; 8:e61575. [PMID: 23593487 PMCID: PMC3623997 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2012] [Accepted: 03/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In most crosses between closely related species of Drosophila, the male hybrids are sterile and show postmeiotic abnormalities. A series of gene expression studies using genomic approaches have found significant down regulation of postmeiotic spermatogenesis genes in sterile male hybrids. These results have led some to suggest a direct relationship between down regulation in gene expression and hybrid sterility. An alternative explanation to a cause-and-effect relationship between misregulation of gene expression and male sterility is rapid divergence of male sex regulatory elements leading to incompatible interactions in an interspecies hybrid genome. To test the effect of regulatory divergence in spermatogenesis gene expression, we isolated 35 fertile D. simulans strains with D. mauritiana introgressions in either the X, second or third chromosome. We analyzed gene expression in these fertile hybrid strains for a subset of spermatogenesis genes previously reported as significantly under expressed in sterile hybrids relative to D. simulans. We found that fertile autosomal introgressions can cause levels of gene down regulation similar to that of sterile hybrids. We also found that X chromosome heterospecific introgressions cause significantly less gene down regulation than autosomal introgressions. Our results provide evidence that rapid male sex gene regulatory divergence can explain misexpression of spermatogenesis genes in hybrids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Ferguson
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Suzanne Gomes
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Alberto Civetta
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- * E-mail:
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48
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Lindsley DL, Roote J, Kennison JA. Anent the genomics of spermatogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS One 2013; 8:e55915. [PMID: 23409089 PMCID: PMC3567030 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [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: 09/20/2012] [Accepted: 01/04/2013] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
An appreciable fraction of the Drosophila melanogaster genome is dedicated to male fertility. One approach to characterizing this subset of the genome is through the study of male-sterile mutations. We studied the relation between vital and male-fertility genes in three large autosomal regions that were saturated for lethal and male-sterile mutations. The majority of male-sterile mutations affect genes that are exclusively expressed in males. These genes are required only for male fertility, and several mutant alleles of each such gene were encountered. A few male-sterile mutations were alleles of vital genes that are expressed in both males and females. About one-fifth of the genes in Drosophila melanogaster show male-specific expression in adults. Although some earlier studies found a paucity of genes on the X chromosome showing male-biased expression, we did not find any significant differences between the X chromosome and the autosomes either in the relative frequencies of mutations to male sterility or in the frequencies of genes with male-specific expression in adults. Our results suggest that as much as 25% of the Drosophila genome may be dedicated to male fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan L. Lindsley
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - John Roote
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - James A. Kennison
- Program on Genomics of Differentiation, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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49
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Belloni G, Sechi S, Riparbelli MG, Fuller MT, Callaini G, Giansanti MG. Mutations in Cog7 affect Golgi structure, meiotic cytokinesis and sperm development during Drosophila spermatogenesis. J Cell Sci 2012; 125:5441-52. [PMID: 22946051 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.108878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex plays essential roles in Golgi function, vesicle trafficking and glycosylation. Deletions in the human COG7 gene are associated with a rare multisystemic congenital disorder of glycosylation that causes mortality within the first year of life. In this paper, we characterise the Drosophila orthologue of COG7 (Cog7). Loss-of-function Cog7 mutants are viable but male sterile. The Cog7 gene product is enriched in the Golgi stacks and in Golgi-derived structures throughout spermatogenesis. Mutations in the Cog7 gene disrupt Golgi architecture and reduce the number of Golgi stacks in primary spermatocytes. During spermiogenesis, loss of the Cog7 protein impairs the assembly of the Golgi-derived acroblast in spermatids and affects axoneme architecture. Similar to the Cog5 homologue, four way stop (Fws), Cog7 enables furrow ingression during cytokinesis. We show that the recruitment of the small GTPase Rab11 and the phosphatidylinositol transfer protein Giotto (Gio) to the cleavage site requires a functioning wild-type Cog7 gene. In addition, Gio coimmunoprecipitates with Cog7 and with Rab11 in the testes. Our results altogether implicate Cog7 as an upstream component in a gio-Rab11 pathway controlling membrane addition during cytokinesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Belloni
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari del CNR, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie Università di Roma Sapienza, P.le A Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
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50
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Brill JA, Wolfner MF. Overview: Special issue on Drosophila spermatogenesis. SPERMATOGENESIS 2012; 2:127-128. [PMID: 23087831 PMCID: PMC3469435 DOI: 10.4161/spmg.21797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Julie A. Brill
- Cell Biology Program; The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids); Toronto, ON Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics; University of Toronto; Toronto, ON Canada
| | - Mariana F. Wolfner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Cornell University; Ithaca, NY USA
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