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Crittenden SL, Seidel HS, Kimble J. Analysis of the C. elegans Germline Stem Cell Pool. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2677:1-36. [PMID: 37464233 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3259-8_1] [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: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
The Caenorhabditis elegans germline is an excellent model for studying the genetic and molecular regulation of stem cell self-renewal and progression of cells from a stem cell state to a differentiated state. The germline tissue is organized in an assembly line with the germline stem cell (GSC) pool at one end and differentiated gametes at the other. A simple mesenchymal niche caps the GSC pool and maintains GSCs in an undifferentiated state by signaling through the conserved Notch pathway. Notch signaling activates transcription of the key GSC regulators lst-1 and sygl-1 proteins in a gradient through the GSC pool. LST-1 and SYGL-1 proteins work with PUF RNA regulators in a self-renewal hub to maintain the GSC pool. In this chapter, we present methods for characterizing the C. elegans GSC pool and early stages of germ cell differentiation. The methods include examination of germlines in living and fixed worms, cell cycle analysis, and analysis of markers. We also discuss assays to separate mutant phenotypes that affect the stem cell vs. differentiation decision from those that affect germ cell processes more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L Crittenden
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
| | - Hannah S Seidel
- Department of Biology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USA
| | - Judith Kimble
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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Abstract
The Caenorhabditis elegans germline is an excellent model for studying the regulation of a pool of stem cells and progression of cells from a stem cell state to a differentiated state. At the tissue level, the germline is organized in an assembly line with the germline stem cell (GSC) pool at one end and differentiated cells at the other. A simple mesenchymal niche caps the GSC region of the germline and maintains GSCs in an undifferentiated state by signaling through the conserved Notch pathway. Downstream of Notch signaling, key regulators include novel LST-1 and SYGL-1 proteins and a network of RNA regulatory proteins. In this chapter we present methods for characterizing the C. elegans GSC pool and early germ cell differentiation. The methods include examination of the germline in living and fixed worms, cell cycle analysis, and analysis of markers. We also discuss assays to separate mutants that affect the stem cell vs. differentiation decision from those that affect germ cell processes more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L Crittenden
- HHMI/Department of Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and University of Wisconsin-Madison, 433 Babcock Drive, Madison, WI, 53706-1544, USA.
| | - Hannah S Seidel
- HHMI/Department of Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and University of Wisconsin-Madison, 433 Babcock Drive, Madison, WI, 53706-1544, USA
| | - Judith Kimble
- HHMI/Department of Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and University of Wisconsin-Madison, 433 Babcock Drive, Madison, WI, 53706-1544, USA
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Roy D, Michaelson D, Hochman T, Santella A, Bao Z, Goldberg JD, Hubbard EJA. Cell cycle features of C. elegans germline stem/progenitor cells vary temporally and spatially. Dev Biol 2016; 409:261-271. [PMID: 26577869 PMCID: PMC4827254 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2015.10.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2015] [Revised: 10/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Many organisms accumulate a pool of germline stem cells during development that is maintained in later life. The dynamics of establishment, expansion and homeostatic maintenance of this pool are subject to both developmental and physiological influences including the availability of a suitable niche microenvironment, nutritional status, and age. Here, we investigated the dynamics of germline proliferation during stages of expansion and homeostasis, using the C. elegans germ line as a model. The vast majority of germ cells in the proliferative zone are in interphase stages of mitosis (G1, S, G2) rather than in the active mitotic (M) phase. We examined mitotic index and DNA content, comparing different life stages, mutants, and physiological conditions. We found that germ cells in larval stages cycle faster than in adult stages, but that this difference could not be attributed to sexual fate of the germ cells. We also found that larval germ cells exhibit a lower average DNA content compared to adult germ cells. We extended our analysis to consider the effects of distance from the niche and further found that the spatial pattern of DNA content differs between larval and adult stages in the wild type and among mutants in pathways that interfere with cell cycle progression, cell fate, or both. Finally, we characterized expansion of the proliferative pool of germ cells during adulthood, using a regeneration paradigm (ARD recovery) in which animals are starved and re-fed. We compared adult stage regeneration and larval stage expansion, and found that the adult germ line is capable of rapid accumulation but does not sustain a larval-level mitotic index nor does it recapitulate the larval pattern of DNA content. The regenerated germ line does not reach the number of proliferative zone nuclei seen in the continuously fed adult. Taken together, our results suggest that cell cycle dynamics are under multiple influences including distance from the niche, age and/or maturation of the germ line, nutrition and, possibly, latitude for physical expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debasmita Roy
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Stem Cell Biology, Departments of Cell Biology and Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - David Michaelson
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Stem Cell Biology, Departments of Cell Biology and Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Tsivia Hochman
- Departments of Population Health and Environmental Medicine, Division of Biostatistics, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Anthony Santella
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Zhirong Bao
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Judith D Goldberg
- Departments of Population Health and Environmental Medicine, Division of Biostatistics, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - E Jane Albert Hubbard
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Stem Cell Biology, Departments of Cell Biology and Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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Seidel HS, Kimble J. Cell-cycle quiescence maintains Caenorhabditis elegans germline stem cells independent of GLP-1/Notch. eLife 2015; 4. [PMID: 26551561 PMCID: PMC4718729 DOI: 10.7554/elife.10832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2015] [Accepted: 11/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Many types of adult stem cells exist in a state of cell-cycle quiescence, yet it has remained unclear whether quiescence plays a role in maintaining the stem cell fate. Here we establish the adult germline of Caenorhabditis elegans as a model for facultative stem cell quiescence. We find that mitotically dividing germ cells--including germline stem cells--become quiescent in the absence of food. This quiescence is characterized by a slowing of S phase, a block to M-phase entry, and the ability to re-enter M phase rapidly in response to re-feeding. Further, we demonstrate that cell-cycle quiescence alters the genetic requirements for stem cell maintenance: The signaling pathway required for stem cell maintenance under fed conditions--GLP-1/Notch signaling--becomes dispensable under conditions of quiescence. Thus, cell-cycle quiescence can itself maintain stem cells, independent of the signaling pathway otherwise essential for such maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah S Seidel
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States.,The Ellison Medical Foundation Fellow of the Life Sciences Research Foundation, The Lawrence Ellison Foundation, Mount Airy, United States
| | - Judith Kimble
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
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