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Wang X, Guo Z, Dai D, Xie C, Zhao Z, Zheng J, Sun M, Peng D. High-resolution transcriptome datasets during embryogenesis of plant-parasitic nematodes. Sci Data 2024; 11:690. [PMID: 38926436 PMCID: PMC11208412 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03542-3] [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: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the transcriptional regulatory characteristics throughout the embryogenesis of plant-parasitic nematodes is crucial for elucidating their developmental processes' uniqueness. However, a challenge arises due to the lack of suitable technical methods for synchronizing the age of plant-parasitic nematodes embryo, it is difficult to collect detailed transcriptome data at each stage of embryonic development. Here, we recorded the 11 embryonic developmental time-points of endophytic nematode Meloidogyne incognita (isolated from Wuhan, China), Heterodera glycines (isolated from Wuhan, China), and Ditylenchus destructor (isolated from Jinan, China) species, and constructed transcriptome datasets of single embryos of these three species utilizing low-input smart-seq2 technology. The datasets encompassed 11 complete embryonic development stages, including Zygote, 2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell, 24-44 cell, 64-78 cell, Comma, 1.5-fold, 2-fold, Moving, and L1, each stage generated four to five replicates, resulting in a total of 162 high-resolution transcriptome libraries. This high-resolution cross-species dataset serves as a crucial resource for comprehending the embryonic developmental properties of plant-parasitic nematodes and for identifying functional regulatory genes during embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Zhiqing Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Dadong Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Chuanshuai Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Ziwei Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jinshui Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Ming Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Donghai Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
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Huang G, Ma Y, Xie D, Zhao C, Zhu L, Xie G, Wu P, Wang W, Zhao Z, Cai Z. Evaluation of nanoplastics toxicity in the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans by iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomics. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 862:160646. [PMID: 36493839 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Plastic pollution is recognized as a major threat to ecosystems in the 21st century. Large plastic objects undergo biotic and abiotic degradation to generate micro- and nano-sized plastic pieces. Despite tremendous efforts to evaluate the adverse effects of microplastics, a comprehensive understanding of the toxicity of nanoplastics remains elusive, especially at the protein level. To this end, we used isobaric-tag-for-relative-and-absolute-quantitation-based quantitative proteomics to investigate the proteome dynamics of the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans in response to exposure to 100 nm polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs). After 48 h of exposure to 0.1, 1, or 10 mg/L PS-NPs, 136 out of 1684 proteins were differentially expressed and 108 of these proteins were upregulated. These proteins were related to ribosome biogenesis, translation, proteolysis, kinases, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, and energy metabolism. Remarkably, changes in proteome dynamics in response to exposure to PS-NPs were consistent with the phenotypic defects of C. elegans. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that disruption of proteome homeostasis is a biological consequence of PS-NPs accumulation in C. elegans, which provides insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the toxicology of nanoplastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gefei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, 999077, Hong Kong
| | - Yiming Ma
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, 999077, Hong Kong
| | - Dongying Xie
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, 999077, Hong Kong
| | - Cunmin Zhao
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, 999077, Hong Kong
| | - Lin Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, 999077, Hong Kong
| | - Guangshan Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, 999077, Hong Kong
| | - Pengfei Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, 999077, Hong Kong
| | - Wei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, 999077, Hong Kong
| | - Zhongying Zhao
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, 999077, Hong Kong
| | - Zongwei Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, 999077, Hong Kong.
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Athar F, Templeman NM. C. elegans as a model organism to study female reproductive health. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2022; 266:111152. [PMID: 35032657 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.111152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Female reproductive health has been historically understudied and underfunded. Here, we present the advantages of using a free-living nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, as an animal system to study fundamental aspects of female reproductive health. C. elegans is a powerful high-throughput model organism that shares key genetic and physiological similarities with humans. In this review, we highlight areas of pressing medical and biological importance in the 21st century within the context of female reproductive health. These include the decline in female reproductive capacity with increasing chronological age, reproductive dysfunction arising from toxic environmental insults, and cancers of the reproductive system. C. elegans has been instrumental in uncovering mechanistic insights underlying these processes, and has been valuable for developing and testing therapeutics to combat them. Adopting a convenient model organism such as C. elegans for studying reproductive health will encourage further research into this field, and broaden opportunities for making advancements into evolutionarily conserved mechanisms that control reproductive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faria Athar
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Nicole M Templeman
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada.
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Wittayarat M, Panyaboriban S, Kupthammasan N, Otoi T, Chatdarong K. Effects of green tea polyphenols and α-tocopherol on the quality of chilled cat spermatozoa and sperm IZUMO1 protein expression during long-term preservation. Anim Reprod Sci 2022; 237:106926. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2022.106926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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SATO K. Multiple roles of endocytosis and autophagy in intracellular remodeling during oocyte-to-embryo transition. PROCEEDINGS OF THE JAPAN ACADEMY. SERIES B, PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2022; 98:207-221. [PMID: 35545527 PMCID: PMC9130481 DOI: 10.2183/pjab.98.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Fertilization is the starting point for creating new progeny. At this time, the highly differentiated oocyte and sperm fuse to form one zygote, which is then converted into a pluripotent early embryo. Recent studies have shown that the lysosomal degradation system via autophagy and endocytosis plays important roles in the remodeling of intracellular components during oocyte-to-embryo transition. For example, in Caenorhabditis elegans, zygotes show high endocytic activity, and some populations of maternal membrane proteins are selectively internalized and delivered to lysosomes for degradation. Furthermore, fertilization triggers selective autophagy of sperm-derived paternal mitochondria, which establishes maternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA. In addition, it has been shown that autophagy via liquid-liquid phase separation results in the selective degradation of some germ granule components, which are distributed to somatic cells of early embryos. This review outlines the physiological functions of the lysosomal degradation system and its molecular mechanisms in C. elegans and mouse embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken SATO
- Laboratory of Molecular Traffic, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
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Yue W, Mo L, Zhang J. Reproductive toxicities of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide on Caenorhabditis elegans with oscillation between inhibition and stimulation over generations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 765:144334. [PMID: 33385812 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Ionic liquids (ILs) become emerging pollutants and their toxicities earn increasing attentions. Yet, their effects were seldom explored on reproduction which connects generations and also effects across generations. In the present study, reproductive effects of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([C2mim]Br), one representative IL, were studied on C. elegans with 11 continuously exposed generations (F1 to F11). At 8.20E-5 g/L, the effects on the initial reproduction showed oscillatory changes between stimulation (in F1, F3, F4, F6 and F10) and inhibition (in F2, F5, F7, F8 and F11). At 8.20E-3 g/L, the effects on the reproduction over generations also showed such oscillation despite of different stimulation or inhibition levels, and even opposite influences in F4 and F11. The effects of [C2mim]Br on the total reproduction also showed the concentration-dependent oscillation between stimulation and inhibition over generations, though they had less alteration frequencies than those on the initial reproduction. Biochemical and molecular indicators were further measured in F1, F4, F7 and F11 to explore potential mechanisms. Results showed that the effects on spermatocyte protein 8 (SPE8) showed positive correlation with those on reproduction while the influences on major sperm protein (MSP) and sperm transmembrane protein 9 (SPE9) showed negative correlation with SPE8. Moreover, the dysregulation on expressions of acs-2 and akt-1 indicated the involvement of glucolipid metabolism. The changes in expressions of set-2, met-2, set-25 and mes-4 demonstrated that the long-term reproductive impacts of [C2mim]Br over generations also involved histone methylation at H3K4, H3K9 and H3K36, which also connected with the glucolipid metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanyan Yue
- College of Ecological Technology and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai 201418, PR China; Jiaxing Tongji Institute for Environment, Jiaxing, Zhejiang 314051, PR China
| | - Lingyun Mo
- The Guangxi Key Laboratory of Theory and Technology for Environmental Pollution Control, Guilin, Guangxi 541006, PR China
| | - Jing Zhang
- College of Ecological Technology and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai 201418, PR China.
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Launay C, Félix MA, Dieng J, Delattre M. Diversification and hybrid incompatibility in auto-pseudogamous species of Mesorhabditis nematodes. BMC Evol Biol 2020; 20:105. [PMID: 32811433 PMCID: PMC7433073 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-020-01665-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Pseudogamy is a reproductive system in which females rely on the sperm of males to activate their oocytes, generally parasitizing males of other species, but do not use the sperm DNA. The nematode Mesorhabditis belari uses a specific form of pseudogamy, where females produce their own males as a source of sperm. Males develop from rare eggs with true fertilization, while females arise by gynogenesis. Males thus do not contribute their genome to the female offspring. Here, we explored the diversity of reproductive mode within the Mesorhabditis genus and addressed species barriers in pseudogamous species. Results To this end, we established a collection of over 60 Mesorhabditis strains from soil and rotting vegetal matter. We found that males from pseudogamous species displayed a reduced size of their body, male tail and sperm cells compared to males of sexual Mesorhabditis species, as expected for males that face little competition. Using rDNA sequences and crosses, we could define 11 auto-pseudogamous biological species, with closely related species pairs and a possible single origin of pseudogamy in the Mesorhabditis genus. Most crosses between males and females of different species did not even produce female progeny. This surprising species barrier in pseudogamous egg activation was pre or postcopulatory depending on the species pair. In the latter case, when hybrid embryos were produced, most arrested before the first embryonic cell division. Hybrid incompatibility between auto-pseudogamous species was due to defective interaction between sperm and oocyte as well as defective reconstitution of zygotic centrosomes. Conclusions We established a collection of sexual and pseudo-sexual species which offer an ideal framework to explore the origin and consequences of transition to asexuality. Our results demonstrate that speciation occurs in the pseudogamous state. Whereas genomic conflicts are responsible for hybrid incompatibility in sexual species, we here reveal that centrosomes constitute key organelles in the establishment of species barrier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Launay
- Laboratory of Biology and Modeling of the Cell, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS, Inserm, UCBL, 69007, Lyon, France
| | - Marie-Anne Félix
- IBENS, Département de Biologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, Inserm, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Joris Dieng
- Laboratory of Biology and Modeling of the Cell, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS, Inserm, UCBL, 69007, Lyon, France
| | - Marie Delattre
- Laboratory of Biology and Modeling of the Cell, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS, Inserm, UCBL, 69007, Lyon, France.
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Zhang Z, Ahmed-Braimah YH, Goldberg ML, Wolfner MF. Calcineurin-dependent Protein Phosphorylation Changes During Egg Activation in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Cell Proteomics 2019; 18:S145-S158. [PMID: 30478224 PMCID: PMC6427240 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.ra118.001076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
In almost all animals studied to date, the crucial process of egg activation, by which an arrested mature oocyte transitions into an actively developing embryo, initiates with an increase in Ca2+ in the oocyte's cytoplasm. This Ca2+ rise sets off a series of downstream events, including the completion of meiosis and the dynamic remodeling of the oocyte transcriptome and proteome, which prepares the oocyte for embryogenesis. Calcineurin is a highly conserved phosphatase that is activated by Ca2+ upon egg activation and that is required for the resumption of meiosis in Xenopus,, ascidians, and Drosophila. The molecular mechanisms by which calcineurin transduces the calcium signal to regulate meiosis and other downstream events are still unclear. In this study, we investigate the regulatory role of calcineurin during egg activation in Drosophila melanogaster,. Using mass spectrometry, we quantify the phosphoproteomic and proteomic changes that occur during egg activation, and we examine how these events are affected when calcineurin function is perturbed in female germ cells. Our results show that calcineurin regulates hundreds of phosphosites and also influences the abundance of numerous proteins during egg activation. We find calcineurin-dependent changes in cell cycle regulators including Fizzy (Fzy), Greatwall (Gwl) and Endosulfine (Endos); in protein translation modulators including PNG, NAT, eIF4G, and eIF4B; and in important components of signaling pathways including GSK3β and Akt1. Our results help elucidate the events that occur during the transition from oocyte to embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zijing Zhang
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | | | - Michael L Goldberg
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Mariana F Wolfner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
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Maternal Proteins That Are Phosphoregulated upon Egg Activation Include Crucial Factors for Oogenesis, Egg Activation and Embryogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2018; 8:3005-3018. [PMID: 30012668 PMCID: PMC6118307 DOI: 10.1534/g3.118.200578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Egg activation is essential for the successful transition from a mature oocyte to a developmentally competent egg. It consists of a series of events including the resumption and completion of meiosis, initiation of translation of some maternal mRNAs and destruction of others, and changes to the vitelline envelope. This major change of cell state is accompanied by large scale alteration in the oocyte’s phosphoproteome. We hypothesize that the cohort of proteins that are subject to phosphoregulation during egg activation are functionally important for processes before, during, or soon after this transition, potentially uniquely or as proteins carrying out essential cellular functions like those they do in other (somatic) cells. In this study, we used germline-specific RNAi to examine the function of 189 maternal proteins that are phosphoregulated during egg activation in Drosophila melanogaster. We identified 53 genes whose knockdown reduced or abolished egg production and caused a range of defects in ovarian morphology, as well as 51 genes whose knockdown led to significant impairment or abolishment of the egg hatchability. We observed different stages of developmental arrest in the embryos and various defects in spindle morphology and aberrant centrosome activities in the early arrested embryos. Our results, validated by the detection of multiple genes with previously-documented maternal effect phenotypes among the proteins we tested, revealed 15 genes with newly discovered roles in egg activation and early embryogenesis in Drosophila. Given that protein phosphoregulation is a conserved characteristic of this developmental transition, we suggest that the phosphoregulated proteins may provide a rich pool of candidates for the identification of important players in the egg-to-embryo transition.
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Takayama J, Onami S. The Sperm TRP-3 Channel Mediates the Onset of a Ca 2+ Wave in the Fertilized C. elegans Oocyte. Cell Rep 2016; 15:625-637. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.03.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Revised: 02/02/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Stoeckius M, Grün D, Rajewsky N. Paternal RNA contributions in the Caenorhabditis elegans zygote. EMBO J 2014; 33:1740-50. [PMID: 24894551 DOI: 10.15252/embj.201488117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of the early embryo is thought to be mainly driven by maternal gene products and post-transcriptional gene regulation. Here, we used metabolic labeling to show that RNA can be transferred by sperm into the oocyte upon fertilization. To identify genes with paternal expression in the embryo, we performed crosses of males and females from divergent Caenorhabditis elegans strains. RNA sequencing of mRNAs and small RNAs in the 1-cell hybrid embryo revealed that about one hundred sixty paternal mRNAs are reproducibly expressed in the embryo and that about half of all assayed endogenous siRNAs and piRNAs are also of paternal origin. Together, our results suggest an unexplored paternal contribution to early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlon Stoeckius
- Systems Biology of Gene Regulatory Elements, Max Delbrück Center Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dominic Grün
- Systems Biology of Gene Regulatory Elements, Max Delbrück Center Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nikolaus Rajewsky
- Systems Biology of Gene Regulatory Elements, Max Delbrück Center Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Abstract
Egg activation is the final transition that an oocyte goes through to become a developmentally competent egg. This transition is usually triggered by a calcium-based signal that is often, but not always, initiated by fertilization. Activation encompasses a number of changes within the egg. These include changes to the egg's membranes and outer coverings to prevent polyspermy and to support the developing embryo, as well as resumption and completion of the meiotic cell cycle, mRNA polyadenylation, translation of new proteins, and the degradation of specific maternal mRNAs and proteins. The transition from an arrested, highly differentiated cell, the oocyte, to a developmentally active, totipotent cell, the activated egg or embryo, represents a complete change in cellular state. This is accomplished by altering ion concentrations and by widespread changes in both the proteome and the suite of mRNAs present in the cell. Here, we review the role of calcium and zinc in the events of egg activation, and the importance of macromolecular changes during this transition. The latter include the degradation and translation of proteins, protein posttranslational regulation through phosphorylation, and the degradation, of maternal mRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber R Krauchunas
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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14
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Baird SE, Seibert SR. Reproductive isolation in the Elegans-Group of Caenorhabditis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.4236/ns.2013.54a004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Kimura K, Kimura A. Rab6 is required for the exocytosis of cortical granules and the recruitment of separase to the granules during the oocyte-to-embryo transition in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Cell Sci 2012; 125:5897-905. [PMID: 22992455 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.116400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Remodeling of the embryo surface after fertilization is mediated by the exocytosis of cortical granules derived from the Golgi complex. This process is essential for oocyte-to-embryo transition in many species. However, how the fertilization signal reaches the cortical granules for their timely exocytosis is largely unknown. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the recruitment of separase, a downstream effector of the fertilization signal, to the cortical granules is essential for exocytosis because separase is required for membrane fusion. However, the molecule that recruits separase to the cortical granules remains unidentified. In this study, we found that Rab6, a Golgi-associated GTPase, is essential to recruit separase to the cortical granules in C. elegans embryos. Knockdown of the rab-6.1 gene, a Rab6 homolog in C. elegans, resulted in failure of the membrane fusion step of cortical granule exocytosis. Using a transgenic strain that expresses GFP-fused RAB-6.1, we found that RAB-6.1 temporarily co-localized with separase on the cortical granules for a few minutes and then was dispersed in the cytoplasm concomitantly with membrane fusion. We found that RAB-6.1, as well as cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-1 and anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), was required to recruit separase to the cortical granules. RAB-6.1 was not required for the chromosome segregation process, unlike CDK-1, APC/C and SEP-1. The results indicate that RAB-6.1 is required specifically for the membrane fusion step of exocytosis and for the recruitment of separase to the granules. Thus, RAB-6.1 is an important molecule for the timely exocytosis of the cortical granules during oocyte-to-embryo transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Kimura
- Cell Architecture Laboratory, Structural Biology Center, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima 411-8540, Japan
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McMullen PD, Aprison EZ, Winter PB, Amaral LAN, Morimoto RI, Ruvinsky I. Macro-level modeling of the response of C. elegans reproduction to chronic heat stress. PLoS Comput Biol 2012; 8:e1002338. [PMID: 22291584 PMCID: PMC3266876 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2011] [Accepted: 11/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A major goal of systems biology is to understand how organism-level behavior arises from a myriad of molecular interactions. Often this involves complex sets of rules describing interactions among a large number of components. As an alternative, we have developed a simple, macro-level model to describe how chronic temperature stress affects reproduction in C. elegans. Our approach uses fundamental engineering principles, together with a limited set of experimentally derived facts, and provides quantitatively accurate predictions of performance under a range of physiologically relevant conditions. We generated detailed time-resolved experimental data to evaluate the ability of our model to describe the dynamics of C. elegans reproduction. We find considerable heterogeneity in responses of individual animals to heat stress, which can be understood as modulation of a few processes and may represent a strategy for coping with the ever-changing environment. Our experimental results and model provide quantitative insight into the breakdown of a robust biological system under stress and suggest, surprisingly, that the behavior of complex biological systems may be determined by a small number of key components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick D. McMullen
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Erin Z. Aprison
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Peter B. Winter
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Luis A. N. Amaral
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail: (LANA); (RIM); (IR)
| | - Richard I. Morimoto
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Rice Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail: (LANA); (RIM); (IR)
| | - Ilya Ruvinsky
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail: (LANA); (RIM); (IR)
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Initial diameter of the polar body contractile ring is minimized by the centralspindlin complex. Dev Biol 2011; 359:137-148. [PMID: 21889938 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2011.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2011] [Revised: 08/02/2011] [Accepted: 08/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Polar body formation is an essential step in forming haploid eggs from diploid oocytes. This process involves completion of a highly asymmetric cytokinesis that results in a large egg and two small polar bodies. Unlike mitotic contractile rings, polar body contractile rings assemble over one spindle pole so that the spindle must move through the contractile ring before cytokinesis. During time-lapse imaging of C. elegans meiosis, the contractile ring moved downward along the length of the spindle and completed scission at the midpoint of the spindle, even when spindle length or rate of ring movement was increased. Patches of myosin heavy chain and dynamic furrowing of the plasma membrane over the entire embryo suggested that global cortical contraction forces the meiotic spindle and overlying membrane out through the contractile ring center. Consistent with this model, depletion of myosin phosphatase increased the velocity of ring movement along the length of the spindle. Global dynamic furrowing, which was restricted to anaphase I and II, was dependent on myosin II, the anaphase promoting complex and separase, but did not require cortical contact by the spindle. Large cortical patches of myosin during metaphase I and II indicated that myosin was already in the active form before activation of separase. To identify the signal at the midpoint of the anaphase spindle that induces scission, we depleted two proteins that mark the exact midpoint of the spindle during late anaphase, CYK-4 and ZEN-4. Depletion of either protein resulted in the unexpected phenotype of initial ingression of a polar body ring with twice the diameter of wild type. This phenotype revealed a novel mechanism for minimizing polar body size. Proteins at the spindle midpoint are required for initial ring ingression to occur close to the membrane-proximal spindle pole.
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Wilson LD, Sackett JM, Mieczkowski BD, Richie AL, Thoemke K, Rumbley JN, Kroft TL. Fertilization in C. elegans requires an intact C-terminal RING finger in sperm protein SPE-42. BMC DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2011; 11:10. [PMID: 21345212 PMCID: PMC3053230 DOI: 10.1186/1471-213x-11-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2010] [Accepted: 02/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background The C. elegans sperm protein SPE-42, a membrane protein of unknown structure and molecular function, is required for fertilization. Sperm from worms with spe-42 mutations appear normal but are unable to fertilize eggs. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of 8 conserved cysteine residues in the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of this protein suggesting these residues form a zinc-coordinating RING finger structure. Results We made an in silico structural model of the SPE-42 RING finger domain based on primary sequence analysis and previously reported RING structures. To test the model, we created spe-42 transgenes coding for mutations in each of the 8 cysteine residues predicted to coordinate Zn++ ions in the RING finger motif. Transgenes were crossed into a spe-42 null background and protein function was measured by counting progeny. We found that all 8 cysteines are required for protein function. We also showed that sequence differences between the C-terminal 29 and 30 amino acids in C. elegans and C. briggsae SPE-42 following the RING finger domain are not responsible for the failure of the C. briggsae SPE-42 homolog to rescue C. elegans spe-42 mutants. Conclusions The results suggest that a bona fide RING domain is present at the C-terminus of the SPE-42 protein and that this motif is required for sperm-egg interactions during C. elegans fertilization. Our structural model of the RING domain provides a starting point for further structure-function analysis of this critical region of the protein. The C-terminal domain swap experiment suggests that the incompatibility between the C. elegans and C. briggsae SPE-42 proteins is caused by small amino acid differences outside the C-terminal domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke D Wilson
- Department of Biology, Swenson College of Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN 55812, USA
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Abstract
Although the general events surrounding fertilization in many species are well described, the molecular underpinnings of fertilization are still poorly understood. Caenorhabditis elegans has emerged as a powerful model system for addressing the molecular and cell biological mechanism of fertilization. A primary advantage is the ability to isolate and propagate mutants that effect gametes and no other cells. This chapter provides conceptual guidelines for the identification, maintenance, and experimental approaches for the study fertility mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian D. Geldziler
- Waksman Institute, Rutgers University, Dept. of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
| | - Matthew R. Marcello
- Waksman Institute, Rutgers University, Dept. of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
| | | | - Andrew Singson
- Waksman Institute, Rutgers University, Dept. of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
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GLD-2/RNP-8 cytoplasmic poly(A) polymerase is a broad-spectrum regulator of the oogenesis program. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 107:17445-50. [PMID: 20855596 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1012611107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulated polyadenylation is a broadly conserved mechanism that controls key events during oogenesis. Pivotal to that mechanism is GLD-2, a catalytic subunit of cytoplasmic poly(A) polymerase (PAP). Caenorhabditis elegans GLD-2 forms an active PAP with multiple RNA-binding partners to regulate diverse aspects of germline and early embryonic development. One GLD-2 partner, RNP-8, was previously shown to influence oocyte fate specification. Here we use a genomic approach to identify transcripts selectively associated with both GLD-2 and RNP-8. Among the 335 GLD-2/RNP-8 potential targets, most were annotated as germline mRNAs and many as maternal mRNAs. These targets include gld-2 and rnp-8 themselves, suggesting autoregulation. Removal of either GLD-2 or RNP-8 resulted in shortened poly(A) tails and lowered abundance of four target mRNAs (oma-2, egg-1, pup-2, and tra-2); GLD-2 depletion also lowered the abundance of most GLD-2/RNP-8 putative target mRNAs when assayed on microarrays. Therefore, GLD-2/RNP-8 appears to polyadenylate and stabilize its target mRNAs. We also provide evidence that rnp-8 influences oocyte development; rnp-8 null mutants have more germ cell corpses and fewer oocytes than normal. Furthermore, RNP-8 appears to work synergistically with another GLD-2-binding partner, GLD-3, to ensure normal oogenesis. We propose that the GLD-2/RNP-8 enzyme is a broad-spectrum regulator of the oogenesis program that acts within an RNA regulatory network to specify and produce fully functional oocytes.
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