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Tabarraei H, Waddell BM, Wu CW. Investigation of PAL-1 requirement in C. elegans physiology using the auxin-inducible degradation system. MICROPUBLICATION BIOLOGY 2023; 2023:10.17912/micropub.biology.001057. [PMID: 38125784 PMCID: PMC10731474 DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
The C. elegans PAL-1 protein encodes a caudal-like transcription factor that is required for posterior development and was recently implicated in stress response. We generated a transgenic strain of C. elegans with AID*::3xFLAG::wrmScarlet cassette knocked in at the C-terminal end of the pal-1 locus to enable an auxin-inducible degradation of PAL-1 . We found that auxin-induced degradation of PAL-1 starting from the L1 larval stage does not affect body length development but renders the animal sterile and shortens lifespan. This pal-1 ::AID*::3xFLAG::wrmScarlet strain will be a valuable resource for studying the requirement of PAL-1 in a temporal and tissue-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadi Tabarraei
- Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Brandon M. Waddell
- Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Cheng-Wei Wu
- Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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McDonald K, Larkin K, Dickinson DJ, Golden A, Bai X, Doonan R. Using CRISPR knock-in of fluorescent tags to examine isoform-specific expression of EGL-19 in C. elegans. MICROPUBLICATION BIOLOGY 2023; 2023:10.17912/micropub.biology.000858. [PMID: 37746064 PMCID: PMC10514701 DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
L-type voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) regulate calcium influx and excitation-contraction coupling in many types of muscle cells. Thus, VGCC mutations can cause skeletal and cardiac muscle diseases in humans, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Timothy syndrome. To better understand the genetics and native expression of VGCCs, we have chosen to use the microscopic roundworm, C. elegans . The egl-19 locus is the sole L-type VGCC gene and it encodes three distinct isoforms (a, b, and c). Isoform c is curious because the protein is truncated, lacking the transmembrane domains that form the physical calcium channel. In this study, we have characterized egl-19 expression using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to 'knock-in' fluorescent tags of differing colors, allowing us to distinguish the expression pattern of each isoform. Not surprisingly, we found that EGL-19 is expressed in all types of muscle. In addition, we provide evidence that the truncated c isoform is expressed. Finally, although we find evidence that specific isoforms can have unique subcellular distributions, we also observed some expression patterns that appear to be artifacts. Overall, our results show interesting patterns of egl-19 expression, but also highlight the need for caution when interpreting expression of reporter genes even when they represent endogenous tags.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara McDonald
- Glow Worms Stream, Freshman Research Initiative, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
| | - Kerry Larkin
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
| | - Daniel J Dickinson
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
| | - Andy Golden
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
| | - Xiaofei Bai
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States
| | - Ryan Doonan
- Glow Worms Stream, Freshman Research Initiative, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
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