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Drozd CJ, Chowdhury TA, Quinn CC. UNC-16 interacts with LRK-1 and WDFY-3 to regulate the termination of axon growth. Genetics 2024:iyae053. [PMID: 38581414 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyae053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
In humans, MAPK8IP3 (also known as JIP3) is a neurodevelopmental disorder-associated gene. In C. elegans, the UNC-16 ortholog of the MAPK8IP3 protein can regulate the termination of axon growth. However, its role in this process is not well understood. Here, we report that UNC-16 promotes axon termination through a process that includes the LRK-1(LRRK-1/LRRK-2) kinase and the WDFY-3 (WDFY3/Alfy) selective autophagy protein. Genetic analysis suggests that UNC-16 promotes axon termination through an interaction between its RH1 domain and the dynein complex. Loss of unc-16 function causes accumulation of late endosomes specifically in the distal axon. Moreover, we observe synergistic interactions between loss of unc-16 function and disruptors of endolysosomal function, indicating that the endolysosomal system promotes axon termination. We also find that the axon termination defects caused by loss of UNC-16 function require the function of a genetic pathway that includes lrk-1 and wdfy-3, two genes that have been implicated in autophagy. These observations suggest a model where UNC-16 promotes axon termination by interacting with the endolysosomal system to regulate a pathway that includes LRK-1 and WDFY-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody J Drozd
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Milwaukee, WI, 53201, U.S.A
| | - Tamjid A Chowdhury
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Milwaukee, WI, 53201, U.S.A
| | - Christopher C Quinn
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Milwaukee, WI, 53201, U.S.A
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Aleksander SA, Anagnostopoulos AV, Antonazzo G, Arnaboldi V, Attrill H, Becerra A, Bello SM, Blodgett O, Bradford YM, Bult CJ, Cain S, Calvi BR, Carbon S, Chan J, Chen WJ, Cherry JM, Cho J, Crosby MA, De Pons JL, D’Eustachio P, Diamantakis S, Dolan ME, dos Santos G, Dyer S, Ebert D, Engel SR, Fashena D, Fisher M, Foley S, Gibson AC, Gollapally VR, Gramates LS, Grove CA, Hale P, Harris T, Hayman GT, Hu Y, James-Zorn C, Karimi K, Karra K, Kishore R, Kwitek AE, Laulederkind SJF, Lee R, Longden I, Luypaert M, Markarian N, Marygold SJ, Matthews B, McAndrews MS, Millburn G, Miyasato S, Motenko H, Moxon S, Muller HM, Mungall CJ, Muruganujan A, Mushayahama T, Nash RS, Nuin P, Paddock H, Pells T, Perrimon N, Pich C, Quinton-Tulloch M, Raciti D, Ramachandran S, Richardson JE, Gelbart SR, Ruzicka L, Schindelman G, Shaw DR, Sherlock G, Shrivatsav A, Singer A, Smith CM, Smith CL, Smith JR, Stein L, Sternberg PW, Tabone CJ, Thomas PD, Thorat K, Thota J, Tomczuk M, Trovisco V, Tutaj MA, Urbano JM, Van Auken K, Van Slyke CE, Vize PD, Wang Q, Weng S, Westerfield M, Wilming LG, Wong ED, Wright A, Yook K, Zhou P, Zorn A, Zytkovicz M. Updates to the Alliance of Genome Resources Central Infrastructure. Genetics 2024:iyae049. [PMID: 38552170 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyae049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The Alliance of Genome Resources (Alliance) is an extensible coalition of knowledgebases focused on the genetics and genomics of intensively-studied model organisms. The Alliance is organized as individual knowledge centers with strong connections to their research communities and a centralized software infrastructure, discussed here. Model organisms currently represented in the Alliance are budding yeast, C. elegans, Drosophila, zebrafish, frog, laboratory mouse, laboratory rat, and the Gene Ontology Consortium. The project is in a rapid development phase to harmonize knowledge, store it, analyze it, and present it to the community through a web portal, direct downloads, and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Here we focus on developments over the last two years. Specifically, we added and enhanced tools for browsing the genome (JBrowse), downloading sequences, mining complex data (AllianceMine), visualizing pathways, full-text searching of the literature (Textpresso), and sequence similarity searching (SequenceServer). We enhanced existing interactive data tables and added an interactive table of paralogs to complement our representation of orthology. To support individual model organism communities, we implemented species-specific "landing pages" and will add disease-specific portals soon; in addition, we support a common community forum implemented in Discourse software. We describe our progress towards a central persistent database to support curation, the data modeling that underpins harmonization, and progress towards a state-of-the art literature curation system with integrated Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Giulia Antonazzo
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge , Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY , UK
| | - Valerio Arnaboldi
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA
| | - Helen Attrill
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge , Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY , UK
| | - Andrés Becerra
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus , Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD , UK
| | - Susan M Bello
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genomics , Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 , USA
| | - Olin Blodgett
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genomics , Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 , USA
| | | | - Carol J Bult
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genomics , Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 , USA
| | - Scott Cain
- Informatics and Bio-computing Platform, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research , Toronto, ON M5G0A3 , Canada
| | - Brian R Calvi
- Department of Biology, Indiana University , Bloomington, IN 47408 , USA
| | - Seth Carbon
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , Berkeley, CA
| | - Juancarlos Chan
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA
| | - Wen J Chen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA
| | - J Michael Cherry
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University , Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Jaehyoung Cho
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA
| | - Madeline A Crosby
- The Biological Laboratories, Harvard University , 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 , USA
| | - Jeffrey L De Pons
- Medical College of Wisconsin - Rat Genome Database, Departments of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Medical College of Wisconsin , Milwaukee, WI 53226 , USA
| | | | - Stavros Diamantakis
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus , Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD , UK
| | - Mary E Dolan
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genomics , Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 , USA
| | - Gilberto dos Santos
- The Biological Laboratories, Harvard University , 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 , USA
| | - Sarah Dyer
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus , Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD , UK
| | - Dustin Ebert
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, CA 90033 , USA
| | - Stacia R Engel
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University , Stanford, CA 94305
| | - David Fashena
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon , Eugene, OR 97403
| | - Malcolm Fisher
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center , 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45229 , USA
| | - Saoirse Foley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University , 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15203
| | - Adam C Gibson
- Medical College of Wisconsin - Rat Genome Database, Departments of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Medical College of Wisconsin , Milwaukee, WI 53226 , USA
| | - Varun R Gollapally
- Medical College of Wisconsin - Rat Genome Database, Departments of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Medical College of Wisconsin , Milwaukee, WI 53226 , USA
| | - L Sian Gramates
- The Biological Laboratories, Harvard University , 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 , USA
| | - Christian A Grove
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA
| | - Paul Hale
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genomics , Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 , USA
| | - Todd Harris
- Informatics and Bio-computing Platform, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research , Toronto, ON M5G0A3 , Canada
| | - G Thomas Hayman
- Medical College of Wisconsin - Rat Genome Database, Departments of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Medical College of Wisconsin , Milwaukee, WI 53226 , USA
| | - Yanhui Hu
- Department of Genetics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School , 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115 , USA
| | - Christina James-Zorn
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center , 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45229 , USA
| | - Kamran Karimi
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary , 507 Campus Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4V8 , Canada
| | - Kalpana Karra
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University , Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Ranjana Kishore
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA
| | - Anne E Kwitek
- Medical College of Wisconsin - Rat Genome Database, Departments of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Medical College of Wisconsin , Milwaukee, WI 53226 , USA
| | - Stanley J F Laulederkind
- Medical College of Wisconsin - Rat Genome Database, Departments of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Medical College of Wisconsin , Milwaukee, WI 53226 , USA
| | - Raymond Lee
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA
| | - Ian Longden
- The Biological Laboratories, Harvard University , 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 , USA
| | - Manuel Luypaert
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus , Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD , UK
| | - Nicholas Markarian
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA
| | - Steven J Marygold
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge , Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY , UK
| | - Beverley Matthews
- The Biological Laboratories, Harvard University , 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 , USA
| | - Monica S McAndrews
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genomics , Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 , USA
| | - Gillian Millburn
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge , Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY , UK
| | - Stuart Miyasato
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University , Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Howie Motenko
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genomics , Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 , USA
| | - Sierra Moxon
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , Berkeley, CA
| | - Hans-Michael Muller
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA
| | - Christopher J Mungall
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , Berkeley, CA
| | - Anushya Muruganujan
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, CA 90033 , USA
| | - Tremayne Mushayahama
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, CA 90033 , USA
| | - Robert S Nash
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University , Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Paulo Nuin
- Informatics and Bio-computing Platform, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research , Toronto, ON M5G0A3 , Canada
| | - Holly Paddock
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon , Eugene, OR 97403
| | - Troy Pells
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary , 507 Campus Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4V8 , Canada
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School , 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115 , USA
| | - Christian Pich
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon , Eugene, OR 97403
| | - Mark Quinton-Tulloch
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus , Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD , UK
| | - Daniela Raciti
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA
| | | | | | - Susan Russo Gelbart
- The Biological Laboratories, Harvard University , 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 , USA
| | - Leyla Ruzicka
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon , Eugene, OR 97403
| | - Gary Schindelman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA
| | - David R Shaw
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genomics , Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 , USA
| | - Gavin Sherlock
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University , Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Ajay Shrivatsav
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University , Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Amy Singer
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon , Eugene, OR 97403
| | - Constance M Smith
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genomics , Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 , USA
| | - Cynthia L Smith
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genomics , Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 , USA
| | - Jennifer R Smith
- Medical College of Wisconsin - Rat Genome Database, Departments of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Medical College of Wisconsin , Milwaukee, WI 53226 , USA
| | - Lincoln Stein
- Informatics and Bio-computing Platform, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research , Toronto, ON M5G0A3 , Canada
| | - Paul W Sternberg
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA
| | - Christopher J Tabone
- The Biological Laboratories, Harvard University , 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 , USA
| | - Paul D Thomas
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, CA 90033 , USA
| | - Ketaki Thorat
- Medical College of Wisconsin - Rat Genome Database, Departments of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Medical College of Wisconsin , Milwaukee, WI 53226 , USA
| | - Jyothi Thota
- Medical College of Wisconsin - Rat Genome Database, Departments of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Medical College of Wisconsin , Milwaukee, WI 53226 , USA
| | - Monika Tomczuk
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genomics , Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 , USA
| | - Vitor Trovisco
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge , Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY , UK
| | - Marek A Tutaj
- Medical College of Wisconsin - Rat Genome Database, Departments of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Medical College of Wisconsin , Milwaukee, WI 53226 , USA
| | - Jose-Maria Urbano
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge , Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY , UK
| | - Kimberly Van Auken
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA
| | - Ceri E Van Slyke
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon , Eugene, OR 97403
| | - Peter D Vize
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary , 507 Campus Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4V8 , Canada
| | - Qinghua Wang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA
| | - Shuai Weng
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University , Stanford, CA 94305
| | | | - Laurens G Wilming
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genomics , Bar Harbor, ME, 04609 , USA
| | - Edith D Wong
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University , Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Adam Wright
- Informatics and Bio-computing Platform, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research , Toronto, ON M5G0A3 , Canada
| | - Karen Yook
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125 , USA
| | - Pinglei Zhou
- The Biological Laboratories, Harvard University , 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 , USA
| | - Aaron Zorn
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center , 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45229 , USA
| | - Mark Zytkovicz
- The Biological Laboratories, Harvard University , 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 , USA
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3
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Mathies LD, Kim AC, Soukup EM, Thomas AE, Bettinger JC. PBRM-1/PBAF-regulated genes in a multipotent progenitor in Caenorhabditis elegans. G3 (Bethesda) 2024; 14:jkad297. [PMID: 38150396 PMCID: PMC10917506 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
The Caenorhabditis elegans somatic gonadal precursors (SGPs) are multipotent progenitors that generate all somatic cells of the adult reproductive system. The 2 SGPs originate in the mesodermal layer and are born through a division that produces one SGP and one head mesodermal cell (hmc). One hmc terminally differentiates, and the other dies by programmed cell death. The polybromo-associated BAF (PBAF) chromatin remodeling complex promotes the multipotent SGP fate. The complete loss of PBAF causes lethality, so we used a combination of Cre/lox recombination and GFP nanobody-directed protein degradation to eliminate PBRM-1, the signature subunit of the PBAF complex, from 83 mesodermal cells, including SGPs, body muscles, and the hmc. We used RNA sequencing to identify genes acting downstream of PBAF in these cells and identified 1,955 transcripts that were significantly differentially expressed between pbrm-1(-) and pbrm-1(+) in the mesoderm of L1 larvae. We found that genes involved in muscle cell function were overrepresented; most of these genes had lower expression in the absence of PBRM-1, suggesting that PBAF promotes muscle differentiation. Among the differentially expressed genes were 125 that are normally expressed at higher levels in SGP vs hmc and positively regulated by pbrm-1 and 53 that are normally expressed at higher levels in hmc vs SGP and are negatively regulated by pbrm-1; these are candidate regulators of the SGP/hmc fate decision. We validated one candidate gene using a fluorescent reporter; the hsp-12.3 reporter was derepressed in SGPs in pbrm-1 mutants, suggesting that hsp-12.3 expression is normally repressed by pbrm-1 in SGPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura D Mathies
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Andrew C Kim
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Evan M Soukup
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Alan’da E Thomas
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Jill C Bettinger
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
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4
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Roka Pun H, Karp X. An RNAi screen for conserved kinases that enhance microRNA activity after dauer in Caenorhabditis elegans. G3 (Bethesda) 2024; 14:jkae007. [PMID: 38226857 PMCID: PMC10917497 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkae007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Gene regulation in changing environments is critical for maintaining homeostasis. Some animals undergo a stress-resistant diapause stage to withstand harsh environmental conditions encountered during development. MicroRNAs are one mechanism for regulating gene expression during and after diapause. MicroRNAs downregulate target genes posttranscriptionally through the activity of the microRNA-induced silencing complex. Argonaute is the core microRNA-induced silencing complex protein that binds to both the microRNA and to other microRNA-induced silencing complex proteins. The 2 major microRNA Argonautes in the Caenorhabditis elegans soma are ALG-1 and ALG-2, which function partially redundantly. Loss of alg-1 [alg-1(0)] causes penetrant developmental phenotypes including vulval defects and the reiteration of larval cell programs in hypodermal cells. However, these phenotypes are essentially absent if alg-1(0) animals undergo a diapause stage called dauer. Levels of the relevant microRNAs are not higher during or after dauer, suggesting that activity of the microRNA-induced silencing complex may be enhanced in this context. To identify genes that are required for alg-1(0) mutants to develop without vulval defects after dauer, we performed an RNAi screen of genes encoding conserved kinases. We focused on kinases because of their known role in modulating microRNA-induced silencing complex activity. We found RNAi knockdown of 4 kinase-encoding genes, air-2, bub-1, chk-1, and nekl-3, caused vulval defects and reiterative phenotypes in alg-1(0) mutants after dauer, and that these defects were more penetrant in an alg-1(0) background than in wild type. Our results implicate these kinases as potential regulators of microRNA-induced silencing complex activity during postdauer development in C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himal Roka Pun
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
- Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
| | - Xantha Karp
- Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
- Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
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Parée T, Noble L, Ferreira Gonçalves J, Teotónio H. rec-1 loss of function increases recombination in the central gene clusters at the expense of autosomal pairing centers. Genetics 2024; 226:iyad205. [PMID: 38001364 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Meiotic control of crossover (CO) number and position is critical for homologous chromosome segregation and organismal fertility, recombination of parental genotypes, and the generation of novel genetic combinations. We here characterize the recombination rate landscape of a rec-1 loss of function modifier of CO position in Caenorhabditis elegans, one of the first ever modifiers discovered. By averaging CO position across hermaphrodite and male meioses and by genotyping 203 single-nucleotide variants covering about 95% of the genome, we find that the characteristic chromosomal arm-center recombination rate domain structure is lost in the loss of function rec-1 mutant. The rec-1 loss of function mutant smooths the recombination rate landscape but is insufficient to eliminate the nonuniform position of CO. Lower recombination rates in the rec-1 mutant are particularly found in the autosomal arm domains containing the pairing centers. We further find that the rec-1 mutant is of little consequence for organismal fertility and egg viability and thus for rates of autosomal nondisjunction. It nonetheless increases X chromosome nondisjunction rates and thus male appearance. Our findings question the maintenance of recombination rate heritability and genetic diversity among C. elegans natural populations, and they further suggest that manipulating genetic modifiers of CO position will help find quantitative trait loci located in low-recombining genomic regions normally refractory to discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Parée
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS UMR, 8197, Inserm U1024, PSL Research University, Paris F-75005, France
| | - Luke Noble
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS UMR, 8197, Inserm U1024, PSL Research University, Paris F-75005, France
- EnviroDNA, 95 Albert St., Brunswick, Victoria 3065, Australia
| | - João Ferreira Gonçalves
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS UMR, 8197, Inserm U1024, PSL Research University, Paris F-75005, France
| | - Henrique Teotónio
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS UMR, 8197, Inserm U1024, PSL Research University, Paris F-75005, France
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Komura T, Aoki M, Nishikawa Y. Feeding on lactic acid bacteria isolated from food extends the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans. Lett Appl Microbiol 2024; 77:ovae020. [PMID: 38389250 DOI: 10.1093/lambio/ovae020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) contribute to human health, and LAB functionality has been studied using Caenorhabditis elegans as an alternative host. However, many studies have focused on the efficacy of a single strain of LAB, and few reports have compared various LAB strains. In this study, we examined the effects of 15 strains of LAB isolated from vegetables, meat, and fermented foods on nematode longevity and healthy lifespan. To reduce the frequency of laborious survival observations, we performed a lifespan assay on agar plates containing 2'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (FUdR), which inhibits egg hatching and prevents generation mixing. Four beneficial strains showed significant lifespan extension and increased spontaneous nematode mobility, regardless of treatment with or without FUdR and the frequency of survival observation. These results suggested increased longevity and an extended healthy lifespan, confirming the reliability of our method. The four strains are expected to show anti-ageing effects besides longevity and have effects on age-related degenerative diseases. Our labor-saving method can be used as an alternative to conventional methods and enable simultaneous screening of multiple strains. Future research could explore factors contributing to lifespan regulation by comparing and verifying differential strain effects on lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomomi Komura
- School of Human Science and Environment, University of Hyogo, Himeji, Hyogo 6700092, Japan
- Research Institute for Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Hyogo, Himeji, Hyogo 6700092, Japan
| | - Motoshi Aoki
- Central Research Institute, Marudai Food, Co., Ltd, Takatsuki, Osaka 5698577, Japan
| | - Yoshikazu Nishikawa
- Faculty of Food and Nutrition Sciences, Tezukayama Gakuin University, Sakai, Osaka 5900113, Japan
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Amoroso CR, Shepard LL, Gibson AK. Genetic variation in parasite avoidance, yet no evidence for constitutive fitness costs. Evolution 2024:qpae030. [PMID: 38416416 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpae030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Behavioral avoidance of parasites is a widespread strategy among animal hosts and in human public health. Avoidance has repercussions for both individual and population-level infection risk. Although most cases of parasite avoidance are viewed as adaptive, there is little evidence that the basic assumptions of evolution by natural selection are met. This study addresses this gap by testing whether there is heritable variation in parasite avoidance behavior. We quantified behavioral avoidance of the bacterial parasite Serratia marcescens for 12 strains of the nematode host Caenorhabditis elegans. We found that these strains varied in their magnitude of avoidance, and we estimated broad-sense heritability of this behavior to be in the range of 11%-26%. We then asked whether avoidance carries a constitutive fitness cost. We did not find evidence of one. Rather, strains with higher avoidance had higher fitness, measured as population growth rate. Together, these results direct future theoretical and empirical work to identify the forces maintaining genetic variation in parasite avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leila L Shepard
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Amanda K Gibson
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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8
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Brokate-Llanos AM, Sanchez-Ibañez M, Pérez-Jiménez MM, Monje-Moreno JM, Gómez-Marín C, Caro C, Vivar-Rios C, Moreno-Mateo MA, García-Martín ML, Muñoz MJ, Royo JL. Ribonucleotide reductase inhibition improves the symptoms of a Caenorhabditis elegans model of Alzheimer's Disease. G3 (Bethesda) 2024:jkae040. [PMID: 38412549 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkae040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is the main cause of aging-associated dementia, for which there is no effective treatment. In this work, we reanalyze the information of a previous Genome Wide Association Study, using a new pipeline design to identify novel potential drugs. With this approach, ribonucleoside-diphosphate reductase gene (RRM2B) emerged as a candidate target and its inhibitor, 2', 2'-difluoro 2'deoxycytidine (Gemcitabine), as a potential pharmaceutical drug against Alzheimer's disease. We functionally verified the effect of inhibiting the RRM2B homologue, rnr-2, in an Alzheimer's model of Caenorhabditis elegans, which accumulates human Aβ1-42 peptide to an irreversible paralysis. RNA interference against rnr-2 and also treatment with 200 ng/ml of Gemcitabine, showed animprovement of the phenotype. Gemcitabine treatment increased the intracellular ATP level 3.03 times, which may point to its mechanism of action. Gemcitabine has been extensively used in humans for cancer treatment but at higher concentration. The 200 ng/ml concentration did not exert a significant effect over cell cycle, or affected cell viability when assayed in microglia N13 cell line. Thus, inhibitory drug of the RRM2B activity could be of potential use to treat Alzheimer's disease and particularly Gemcitabine might be considered as a promising candidate to be repurposed for its treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M Brokate-Llanos
- Centro Andaluz de Biologia del Desarrollo. University Pablo de Olavide-CISC-Junta de Andalucía. Ctra Utrera Km 1. 41013 Sevilla. Spain
| | - Mireya Sanchez-Ibañez
- Department of Surgery, Immunology and Biochemistry. School of Medicine, University of Malaga. Boulevar Louis Pasteur s/n. 29010 Málaga. Spain
| | - Mercedes M Pérez-Jiménez
- Centro Andaluz de Biologia del Desarrollo. University Pablo de Olavide-CISC-Junta de Andalucía. Ctra Utrera Km 1. 41013 Sevilla. Spain
| | - José M Monje-Moreno
- Centro Andaluz de Biologia del Desarrollo. University Pablo de Olavide-CISC-Junta de Andalucía. Ctra Utrera Km 1. 41013 Sevilla. Spain
| | - Carlos Gómez-Marín
- Centro Andaluz de Biologia del Desarrollo. University Pablo de Olavide-CISC-Junta de Andalucía. Ctra Utrera Km 1. 41013 Sevilla. Spain
| | - Carlos Caro
- BIONAND, Andalusian Centre for Nanomedicine and Biotechnology (Junta de Andalucía-Universidad de Málaga), 29590 Málaga, Spain
| | - Carlos Vivar-Rios
- Department of Surgery, Immunology and Biochemistry. School of Medicine, University of Malaga. Boulevar Louis Pasteur s/n. 29010 Málaga. Spain
| | - Miguel A Moreno-Mateo
- Centro Andaluz de Biologia del Desarrollo. University Pablo de Olavide-CISC-Junta de Andalucía. Ctra Utrera Km 1. 41013 Sevilla. Spain
| | - María L García-Martín
- BIONAND, Andalusian Centre for Nanomedicine and Biotechnology (Junta de Andalucía-Universidad de Málaga), 29590 Málaga, Spain
| | - Manuel J Muñoz
- Centro Andaluz de Biologia del Desarrollo. University Pablo de Olavide-CISC-Junta de Andalucía. Ctra Utrera Km 1. 41013 Sevilla. Spain
| | - José L Royo
- Department of Surgery, Immunology and Biochemistry. School of Medicine, University of Malaga. Boulevar Louis Pasteur s/n. 29010 Málaga. Spain
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9
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Vasudevan A, Ratnakaran N, Murthy K, Kumari S, Hall DH, Koushika SP. Preferential transport of synaptic vesicles across neuronal branches is regulated by the levels of the anterograde motor UNC-104/KIF1A in vivo. Genetics 2024:iyae021. [PMID: 38467475 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyae021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Asymmetric transport of cargo across axonal branches is a field of active research. Mechanisms contributing to preferential cargo transport along specific branches in vivo in wild type neurons are poorly understood. We find that anterograde synaptic vesicles preferentially enter the synaptic branch or pause at the branch point in C. elegans PLM neurons. The synaptic vesicle anterograde kinesin motor UNC-104/KIF1A regulates this vesicle behaviour at the branch point. Reduced levels of functional UNC-104 cause vesicles to predominantly pause at the branch point and lose their preference for turning into the synaptic branch. SAM-4/Myrlysin, which aids in recruitment/activation of UNC-104 on synaptic vesicles, regulates vesicle behaviour at the branch point similar to UNC-104. Increasing the levels of UNC-104 increases the preference of vesicles to go straight towards the asynaptic end. This suggests that the neuron optimises UNC-104 levels on the cargo surface to maximise the fraction of vesicles entering the branch and minimise the fraction going to the asynaptic end.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amruta Vasudevan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Colaba, Mumbai - 400 005, India
| | - Neena Ratnakaran
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Colaba, Mumbai - 400 005, India
| | - Kaushalya Murthy
- Neurobiology, NCBS-TIFR, Bellary Road, Bengaluru - 560 065, India
| | - Shikha Kumari
- Neurobiology, NCBS-TIFR, Bellary Road, Bengaluru - 560 065, India
| | - David H Hall
- Centre for C. elegans Anatomy, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, NY 10461, United States of America
| | - Sandhya P Koushika
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Colaba, Mumbai - 400 005, India
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10
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van Eijnatten AL, Sterken MG, Kammenga JE, Nijveen H, Snoek BL. The effect of developmental variation on expression QTLs in a multi parental Caenorhabditis elegans population. G3 (Bethesda) 2024; 14:jkad273. [PMID: 38015660 PMCID: PMC10849341 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
Regulation of gene expression plays a crucial role in developmental processes and adaptation to changing environments. expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping is a technique used to study the genetic regulation of gene expression using the transcriptomes of recombinant inbred lines (RILs). Typically, the age of the inbred lines at the time of RNA sampling is carefully controlled. This is necessary because the developmental process causes changes in gene expression, complicating the interpretation of eQTL mapping experiments. However, due to genetics and variation in ambient micro-environments, organisms can differ in their "developmental age," even if they are of the same chronological age. As a result, eQTL patterns are affected by developmental variation in gene expression. The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans is particularly suited for studying the effect of developmental variation on eQTL mapping patterns. In a span of days, C. elegans transitions from embryo through 4 larval stages to adult while undergoing massive changes to its transcriptome. Here, we use C. elegans to investigate the effect of developmental age variation on eQTL patterns and present a normalization procedure. We used dynamical eQTL mapping, which includes the developmental age as a cofactor, to separate the variation in development from genotypic variation and explain variation in gene expression levels. We compare classical single marker eQTL mapping and dynamical eQTL mapping using RNA-seq data of ∼200 multi-parental RILs of C. elegans. The results show that (1) many eQTLs are caused by developmental variation, (2) most trans-bands are developmental QTLs, and (3) dynamical eQTL mapping detects additional eQTLs not found with classical eQTL mapping. We recommend that correction for variation in developmental age should be strongly considered in eQTL mapping studies given the large impact of processes like development on the transcriptome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abraham L van Eijnatten
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8,3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mark G Sterken
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan E Kammenga
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Harm Nijveen
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Radix West, Building 107, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Basten L Snoek
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8,3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
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11
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Egan BM, Pohl F, Anderson X, Williams SC, Gregory Adodo I, Hunt P, Wang Z, Chiu CH, Scharf A, Mosley M, Kumar S, Schneider DL, Fujiwara H, Hsu FF, Kornfeld K. The ACE inhibitor captopril inhibits ACN-1 to control dauer formation and aging. Development 2024; 151:dev202146. [PMID: 38284547 PMCID: PMC10911126 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) plays a well-characterized role regulating blood pressure in mammals. Pharmacological and genetic manipulation of the RAAS has been shown to extend lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila and rodents, but its mechanism is not well defined. Here, we investigate the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor drug captopril, which extends lifespan in worms and mice. To investigate the mechanism, we performed a forward genetic screen for captopril-hypersensitive mutants. We identified a missense mutation that causes a partial loss of function of the daf-2 receptor tyrosine kinase gene, a powerful regulator of aging. The homologous mutation in the human insulin receptor causes Donohue syndrome, establishing these mutant worms as an invertebrate model of this disease. Captopril functions in C. elegans by inhibiting ACN-1, the worm homolog of ACE. Reducing the activity of acn-1 via captopril or RNA interference promoted dauer larvae formation, suggesting that acn-1 is a daf gene. Captopril-mediated lifespan extension was abrogated by daf-16(lf) and daf-12(lf) mutations. Our results indicate that captopril and acn-1 influence lifespan by modulating dauer formation pathways. We speculate that this represents a conserved mechanism of lifespan control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian M. Egan
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Franziska Pohl
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Xavier Anderson
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Shoshana C. Williams
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | | | - Patrick Hunt
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Zuoxu Wang
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Chen-Hao Chiu
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Andrea Scharf
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 65409, USA
| | - Matthew Mosley
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Sandeep Kumar
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Daniel L. Schneider
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Hideji Fujiwara
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Lipid Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Fong-Fu Hsu
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Lipid Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Kerry Kornfeld
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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12
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Bollen DP, Reddy KC, Lascarez-Lagunas LI, Kim DH, Colaiácovo MP. Germline mitotic quiescence and cell death are induced in Caenorhabditis elegans by exposure to pathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Genetics 2024; 226:iyad197. [PMID: 37956057 PMCID: PMC10763535 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The impact of exposure to microbial pathogens on animal reproductive capacity and germline physiology is not well understood. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a bacterivore that encounters pathogenic microbes in its natural environment. How pathogenic bacteria affect host reproductive capacity of C. elegans is not well understood. Here, we show that exposure of C. elegans hermaphrodites to the Gram-negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes a marked reduction in brood size with concomitant reduction in the number of nuclei in the germline and gonad size. We define 2 processes that are induced that contribute to the decrease in the number of germ cell nuclei. First, we observe that infection with P. aeruginosa leads to the induction of germ cell apoptosis. Second, we observe that this exposure induces mitotic quiescence in the proliferative zone of the C. elegans gonad. Importantly, these processes appear to be reversible; when animals are removed from the presence of P. aeruginosa, germ cell apoptosis is abated, germ cell nuclei numbers increase, and brood sizes recover. The reversible germline dynamics during exposure to P. aeruginosa may represent an adaptive response to improve survival of progeny and may serve to facilitate resource allocation that promotes survival during pathogen infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P Bollen
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Kirthi C Reddy
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | | | - Dennis H Kim
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Monica P Colaiácovo
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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13
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Bai X, Golden A. Transmembrane protein 120A (TMEM-120A/TACAN) coordinates with PIEZO channel during Caenorhabditis elegans reproductive regulation. G3 (Bethesda) 2023; 14:jkad251. [PMID: 38051962 PMCID: PMC10755168 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Membrane protein TMEM120A (also known as TACAN) was presumed to be both a mechanically activated molecule and a lipid-modifying enzyme. TMEM120A has been identified as a negative regulator of the essential excitatory mechanosensitive protein PIEZO2. However, the extent to which TMEM120A mediates PIEZO2's activity during physiological processes remains largely unknown. In this study, we used the Caenorhabditis elegans reproductive tract to explore the functional contribution of tmem-120, the sole TMEM120A/B ortholog, and its genetic interaction with pezo-1 in vivo. tmem-120 was expressed throughout the C. elegans development, particularly in the germline, embryos, and spermatheca. A tmem-120 mutant with a full-length deletion (tmem-120Δ) displayed deformed germline, maternal sterility, and a reduced brood size. In vivo live imaging revealed that pinched zygotes were frequently observed in the uterus of tmem-120Δ mutant animals, suggesting damage during spermathecal contraction. We then employed the auxin-inducible degradation system to degrade TMEM-120 protein in all somatic tissues or the germline, both of which resulted in reduced brood sizes. These findings suggested that multiple inputs of tmem-120 from different tissues regulate reproduction. Lastly, the loss of tmem-120 alleviated the brood size reduction and defective sperm navigation behavior in the pezo-1Δ mutant. Overall, our findings reveal a role for tmem-120 in regulating reproductive physiology in C. elegans, and suggest an epistatic interaction between pezo-1 and tmem-120 when governing proper reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofei Bai
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Andy Golden
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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14
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Huynh D, Wu CW. Identification of pararosaniline as a modifier of RNA splicing in Caenorhabditis elegans. G3 (Bethesda) 2023; 13:jkad241. [PMID: 37852248 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Posttranscriptional splicing of premessenger RNA (mRNA) is an evolutionarily conserved eukaryotic process for producing mature mRNA that is translated into proteins. Accurate splicing is necessary for normal growth and development, and aberrant splicing is increasingly evident in various human pathologies. To study environmental factors that influence RNA splicing, we employed a fluorescent Caenorhabditis elegans in vivo splicing reporter as a biomarker for splicing fidelity to screen against the US EPA ToxCast chemical library. We identified pararosaniline hydrochloride as a strong modifier of RNA splicing. Through gene expression analysis, we found that pararosaniline activates the oxidative stress response and alters the expression of key RNA splicing regulator genes. Physiological assays show that pararosaniline is deleterious to C. elegans development, reproduction, and aging. Through a targeted RNAi screen, we found that inhibiting protein translation can reverse pararosaniline's effect on the splicing reporter and provide significant protection against long-term pararosaniline toxicity. Together, this study reveals a new chemical modifier of RNA splicing and describes translation inhibition as a genetic mechanism to provide resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan Huynh
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Cheng-Wei Wu
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
- Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B3, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada
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15
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Boeglin M, Leyva-Díaz E, Hobert O. Expression and function of Caenorhabditis elegans UNCP-18, a paralog of the SM protein UNC-18. Genetics 2023; 225:iyad180. [PMID: 37793339 PMCID: PMC10697816 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Sec1/Munc18 (SM) proteins are important regulators of SNARE complex assembly during exocytosis throughout all major animal tissue types. However, expression of a founding member of the SM family, UNC-18, is mostly restricted to the nervous system of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, where it is important for synaptic transmission. Moreover, unc-18 null mutants do not display the lethality phenotype associated with (a) loss of all Drosophila and mouse orthologs of unc-18 and (b) with complete elimination of synaptic transmission in C. elegans. We investigated whether a previously uncharacterized unc-18 paralog, which we named uncp-18, may be able to explain the restricted expression and limited phenotypes of unc-18 null mutants. A reporter allele shows ubiquitous expression of uncp-18. Analysis of uncp-18 null mutants, unc-18 and uncp-18 double null mutants, as well as overexpression of uncp-18 in an unc-18 null mutant background, shows that these 2 genes can functionally compensate for one another and are redundantly required for embryonic viability. Our results indicate that the synaptic transmission defects of unc-18 null mutants cannot necessarily be interpreted as constituting a null phenotype for SM protein function at the synapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Boeglin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NewYork, NY 10027, USA
- Department of Development and Stem Cells, IGBMC, CNRS UMR 7104/INSERM U1258, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg 67081, France
| | - Eduardo Leyva-Díaz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NewYork, NY 10027, USA
| | - Oliver Hobert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NewYork, NY 10027, USA
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16
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Robert VJ, Caron M, Gely L, Adrait A, Pakulska V, Couté Y, Chevalier M, Riedel CG, Bedet C, Palladino F. SIN-3 acts in distinct complexes to regulate the germline transcriptional program in Caenorhabditis elegans. Development 2023; 150:dev201755. [PMID: 37818613 PMCID: PMC10617626 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023]
Abstract
The transcriptional co-regulator SIN3 influences gene expression through multiple interactions that include histone deacetylases. Haploinsufficiency and mutations in SIN3 are the underlying cause of Witteveen-Kolk syndrome and related intellectual disability and autism syndromes, emphasizing its key role in development. However, little is known about the diversity of its interactions and functions in developmental processes. Here, we show that loss of SIN-3, the single SIN3 homolog in Caenorhabditis elegans, results in maternal-effect sterility associated with de-regulation of the germline transcriptome, including de-silencing of X-linked genes. We identify at least two distinct SIN3 complexes containing specific histone deacetylases and show that they differentially contribute to fertility. Single-cell, single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization reveals that in sin-3 mutants the X chromosome becomes re-expressed prematurely and in a stochastic manner in individual germ cells, suggesting a role for SIN-3 in its silencing. Furthermore, we identify histone residues whose acetylation increases in the absence of SIN-3. Together, this work provides a powerful framework for the in vivo study of SIN3 and associated proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie J. Robert
- Laboratory of Biology and Modeling of the Cell, UMR5239 CNRS/Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, INSERM U1210, UMS 3444 Biosciences Lyon Gerland, Université de Lyon, 69007 Lyon, France
| | - Matthieu Caron
- Laboratory of Biology and Modeling of the Cell, UMR5239 CNRS/Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, INSERM U1210, UMS 3444 Biosciences Lyon Gerland, Université de Lyon, 69007 Lyon, France
| | - Loic Gely
- Laboratory of Biology and Modeling of the Cell, UMR5239 CNRS/Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, INSERM U1210, UMS 3444 Biosciences Lyon Gerland, Université de Lyon, 69007 Lyon, France
| | - Annie Adrait
- Grenoble Alpes, CEA, Inserm, UA13 BGE, CNRS, CEA, FR2048, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Victoria Pakulska
- Grenoble Alpes, CEA, Inserm, UA13 BGE, CNRS, CEA, FR2048, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Yohann Couté
- Grenoble Alpes, CEA, Inserm, UA13 BGE, CNRS, CEA, FR2048, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Manon Chevalier
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Blickagången 16, 14157 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Christian G. Riedel
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Blickagången 16, 14157 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Cecile Bedet
- Laboratory of Biology and Modeling of the Cell, UMR5239 CNRS/Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, INSERM U1210, UMS 3444 Biosciences Lyon Gerland, Université de Lyon, 69007 Lyon, France
| | - Francesca Palladino
- Laboratory of Biology and Modeling of the Cell, UMR5239 CNRS/Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, INSERM U1210, UMS 3444 Biosciences Lyon Gerland, Université de Lyon, 69007 Lyon, France
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17
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Odiba AS, Liao G, Ezechukwu CS, Zhang L, Hong Y, Fang W, Jin C, Gartner A, Wang B. Caenorhabditis elegans NSE3 homolog (MAGE-1) is involved in genome stability and acts in inter-sister recombination during meiosis. Genetics 2023; 225:iyad149. [PMID: 37579186 PMCID: PMC10691751 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Melanoma antigen (MAGE) genes encode for a family of proteins that share a common MAGE homology domain. These genes are conserved in eukaryotes and have been linked to a variety of cellular and developmental processes including ubiquitination and oncogenesis in cancer. Current knowledge on the MAGE family of proteins mainly comes from the analysis of yeast and human cell lines, and their functions have not been reported at an organismal level in animals. Caenorhabditis elegans only encodes 1 known MAGE gene member, mage-1 (NSE3 in yeast), forming part of the SMC-5/6 complex. Here, we characterize the role of mage-1/nse-3 in mitosis and meiosis in C. elegans. mage-1/nse-3 has a role in inter-sister recombination repair during meiotic recombination and for preserving chromosomal integrity upon treatment with a variety of DNA-damaging agents. MAGE-1 directly interacts with NSE-1 and NSE-4. In contrast to smc-5, smc-6, and nse-4 mutants which cause the loss of NSE-1 nuclear localization and strong cytoplasmic accumulation, mage-1/nse-3 mutants have a reduced level of NSE-1::GFP, remnant NSE-1::GFP being partially nuclear but largely cytoplasmic. Our data suggest that MAGE-1 is essential for NSE-1 stability and the proper functioning of the SMC-5/6 complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arome Solomon Odiba
- State Key Laboratory of Non-food Biomass and Enzyme Technology, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Guiyan Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Non-food Biomass and Enzyme Technology, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
| | - Chiemekam Samuel Ezechukwu
- State Key Laboratory of Non-food Biomass and Enzyme Technology, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
| | - Lanlan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Non-food Biomass and Enzyme Technology, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China
| | - Ye Hong
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Wenxia Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Non-food Biomass and Enzyme Technology, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
| | - Cheng Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Non-food Biomass and Enzyme Technology, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Anton Gartner
- IBS Center for Genomic Integrity, Department for Biological Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 689-798, Republic of Korea
| | - Bin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Non-food Biomass and Enzyme Technology, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
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18
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Xu J, Jiang Y, Sherrard R, Ikegami K, Conradt B. PUF-8, a C. elegans ortholog of the RNA-binding proteins PUM1 and PUM2, is required for robustness of the cell death fate. Development 2023; 150:dev201167. [PMID: 37747106 PMCID: PMC10565243 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
During C. elegans development, 1090 somatic cells are generated, of which 959 survive and 131 die, many through apoptosis. We present evidence that PUF-8, a C. elegans ortholog of the mammalian RNA-binding proteins PUM1 and PUM2, is required for the robustness of this 'survival and death' pattern. We found that PUF-8 prevents the inappropriate death of cells that normally survive, and we present evidence that this anti-apoptotic activity of PUF-8 is dependent on the ability of PUF-8 to interact with ced-3 (a C. elegans ortholog of caspase) mRNA, thereby repressing the activity of the pro-apoptotic ced-3 gene. PUF-8 also promotes the death of cells that are programmed to die, and we propose that this pro-apoptotic activity of PUF-8 may depend on the ability of PUF-8 to repress the expression of the anti-apoptotic ced-9 gene (a C. elegans ortholog of Bcl2). Our results suggest that stochastic differences in the expression of genes within the apoptosis pathway can disrupt the highly reproducible and robust survival and death pattern during C. elegans development, and that PUF-8 acts at the post-transcriptional level to level out these differences, thereby ensuring proper cell number homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimei Xu
- Faculty of Biology, Center for Integrative Protein Sciences Munich (CIPSM), Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Yanwen Jiang
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Ryan Sherrard
- Faculty of Biology, Center for Integrative Protein Sciences Munich (CIPSM), Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Kyoko Ikegami
- Faculty of Biology, Center for Integrative Protein Sciences Munich (CIPSM), Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Barbara Conradt
- Faculty of Biology, Center for Integrative Protein Sciences Munich (CIPSM), Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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19
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Drozd CJ, Quinn CC. UNC-116 and UNC-16 function with the NEKL-3 kinase to promote axon targeting. Development 2023; 150:dev201654. [PMID: 37756604 PMCID: PMC10561693 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
KIF5C is a kinesin-1 heavy chain that has been associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Although the roles of kinesin-1 in axon transport are well known, little is known about how it regulates axon targeting. We report that UNC-116/KIF5C functions with the NEKL-3/NEK6/7 kinase to promote axon targeting in Caenorhabditis elegans. Loss of UNC-116 causes the axon to overshoot its target and UNC-116 gain-of-function causes premature axon termination. We find that loss of the UNC-16/JIP3 kinesin-1 cargo adaptor disrupts axon termination, but loss of kinesin-1 light chain function does not affect axon termination. Genetic analysis indicates that UNC-16 functions with the NEKL-3 kinase to promote axon termination. Consistent with this observation, imaging experiments indicate that loss of UNC-16 and UNC-116 disrupt localization of NEKL-3 in the axon. Moreover, genetic interactions suggest that NEKL-3 promotes axon termination by functioning with RPM-1, a ubiquitin ligase that regulates microtubule stability in the growth cone. These observations support a model where UNC-116 functions with UNC-16 to promote localization of NEKL-3 in the axon. NEKL-3, in turn, functions with the RPM-1 ubiquitin ligase to promote axon termination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody J. Drozd
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
| | - Christopher C. Quinn
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
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20
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Bergwell M, Smith A, Smith E, Dierlam C, Duran R, Haastrup E, Napier-Jameson R, Seidel R, Potter W, Norris A, Iyer J. A primary microcephaly-associated sas-6 mutation perturbs centrosome duplication, dendrite morphogenesis, and ciliogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2023; 224:iyad105. [PMID: 37279547 PMCID: PMC10411591 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The human SASS6(I62T) missense mutation has been linked with the incidence of primary microcephaly in a Pakistani family, although the mechanisms by which this mutation causes disease remain unclear. The SASS6(I62T) mutation corresponds to SAS-6(L69T) in Caenorhabditis elegans. Given that SAS-6 is highly conserved, we modeled this mutation in C. elegans and examined the sas-6(L69T) effect on centrosome duplication, ciliogenesis, and dendrite morphogenesis. Our studies revealed that all the above processes are perturbed by the sas-6(L69T) mutation. Specifically, C. elegans carrying the sas-6(L69T) mutation exhibit an increased failure of centrosome duplication in a sensitized genetic background. Further, worms carrying this mutation also display shortened phasmid cilia, an abnormal phasmid cilia morphology, shorter phasmid dendrites, and chemotaxis defects. Our data show that the centrosome duplication defects caused by this mutation are only uncovered in a sensitized genetic background, indicating that these defects are mild. However, the ciliogenesis and dendritic defects caused by this mutation are evident in an otherwise wild-type background, indicating that they are stronger defects. Thus, our studies shed light on the novel mechanisms by which the sas-6(L69T) mutation could contribute to the incidence of primary microcephaly in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Bergwell
- Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Cell Cycle & Cancer Biology Research Program, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - Amy Smith
- Pfizer Inc., Pharmaceutical R&D – Drug Product Design & Development, Chesterfield, MO 63017, USA
| | - Ellie Smith
- University of Tulsa, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Carter Dierlam
- University of Tulsa, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Ramon Duran
- University of Tulsa, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Erin Haastrup
- University of Tulsa, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | | | - Rory Seidel
- University of Tulsa, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - William Potter
- University of Tulsa, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Adam Norris
- Southern Methodist University, Department of Biological Sciences, Dallas, TX 75275, USA
| | - Jyoti Iyer
- University of Tulsa, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
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21
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Gruss MJ, O’Callaghan C, Donnellan M, Corsi AK. A Twist-Box domain of the C. elegans Twist homolog, HLH-8, plays a complex role in transcriptional regulation. Genetics 2023; 224:iyad066. [PMID: 37067863 PMCID: PMC10411555 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
TWIST1 is a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor in humans that functions in mesoderm differentiation. TWIST1 primarily regulates genes as a transcriptional repressor often through TWIST-Box domain-mediated protein-protein interactions. The TWIST-Box also can function as an activation domain requiring 3 conserved, equidistant amino acids (LXXXFXXXR). Autosomal dominant mutations in TWIST1, including 2 reported in these conserved amino acids (F187L and R191M), lead to craniofacial defects in Saethre-Chotzen syndrome (SCS). Caenorhabditis elegans has a single TWIST1 homolog, HLH-8, that functions in the differentiation of the muscles responsible for egg laying and defecation. Null alleles in hlh-8 lead to severely egg-laying defective and constipated animals due to defects in the corresponding muscles. TWIST1 and HLH-8 share sequence identity in their bHLH regions; however, the domain responsible for the transcriptional activity of HLH-8 is unknown. Sequence alignment suggests that HLH-8 has a TWIST-Box LXXXFXXXR motif; however, its function also is unknown. CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing was utilized to generate a domain deletion and several missense mutations, including those analogous to SCS patients, in the 3 conserved HLH-8 amino acids to investigate their functional role. The TWIST-Box alleles did not phenocopy hlh-8 null mutants. The strongest phenotype detected was a retentive (Ret) phenotype with late-stage embryos in the hermaphrodite uterus. Further, GFP reporters of HLH-8 downstream target genes (arg-1::gfp and egl-15::gfp) revealed tissue-specific, target-specific, and allele-specific defects. Overall, the TWIST-Box in HLH-8 is partially required for the protein's transcriptional activity, and the conserved amino acids contribute unequally to the domain's function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Gruss
- Department of Biology, The Catholic University of America, 620 Michigan Ave., NE, Washington, D.C. 20064USA
| | - Colleen O’Callaghan
- Department of Biology, The Catholic University of America, 620 Michigan Ave., NE, Washington, D.C. 20064USA
| | - Molly Donnellan
- Department of Biology, The Catholic University of America, 620 Michigan Ave., NE, Washington, D.C. 20064USA
| | - Ann K Corsi
- Department of Biology, The Catholic University of America, 620 Michigan Ave., NE, Washington, D.C. 20064USA
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22
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Williams RTP, King DC, Mastroianni IR, Hill JL, Apenes NW, Ramirez G, Miner EC, Moore A, Coleman K, Nishimura EO. Transcriptome profiling of the Caenorhabditis elegans intestine reveals that ELT-2 negatively and positively regulates intestinal gene expression within the context of a gene regulatory network. Genetics 2023; 224:iyad088. [PMID: 37183501 PMCID: PMC10411582 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
ELT-2 is the major transcription factor (TF) required for Caenorhabditis elegans intestinal development. ELT-2 expression initiates in embryos to promote development and then persists after hatching through the larval and adult stages. Though the sites of ELT-2 binding are characterized and the transcriptional changes that result from ELT-2 depletion are known, an intestine-specific transcriptome profile spanning developmental time has been missing. We generated this dataset by performing Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting on intestine cells at distinct developmental stages. We analyzed this dataset in conjunction with previously conducted ELT-2 studies to evaluate the role of ELT-2 in directing the intestinal gene regulatory network through development. We found that only 33% of intestine-enriched genes in the embryo were direct targets of ELT-2 but that number increased to 75% by the L3 stage. This suggests additional TFs promote intestinal transcription especially in the embryo. Furthermore, only half of ELT-2's direct target genes were dependent on ELT-2 for their proper expression levels, and an equal proportion of those responded to elt-2 depletion with over-expression as with under-expression. That is, ELT-2 can either activate or repress direct target genes. Additionally, we observed that ELT-2 repressed its own promoter, implicating new models for its autoregulation. Together, our results illustrate that ELT-2 impacts roughly 20-50% of intestine-specific genes, that ELT-2 both positively and negatively controls its direct targets, and that the current model of the intestinal regulatory network is incomplete as the factors responsible for directing the expression of many intestinal genes remain unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert T P Williams
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - David C King
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Izabella R Mastroianni
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jessica L Hill
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Nicolai W Apenes
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Gabriela Ramirez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - E Catherine Miner
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Andrew Moore
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Karissa Coleman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Erin Osborne Nishimura
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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23
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Lim DS, Kim J, Kim W, Kim N, Lee SH, Lee D, Lee J. daf-42 is an evolutionarily young gene essential for dauer development in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2023; 224:iyad097. [PMID: 37216205 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Under adverse environmental conditions, nematodes arrest into dauer, an alternative developmental stage for diapause. Dauer endures unfavorable environments and interacts with host animals to access favorable environments, thus playing a critical role in survival. Here, we report that in Caenorhabditis elegans, daf-42 is essential for development into the dauer stage, as the null mutant of daf-42 exhibited a "no viable dauer" phenotype in which no viable dauers were obtained in any dauer-inducing conditions. Long-term time lapse microscopy of synchronized larvae revealed that daf-42 is involved in developmental changes from the pre-dauer L2d stage to the dauer stage. daf-42 encodes large, disordered proteins of various sizes that are expressed in and secreted from the seam cells within a narrow time window shortly before the molt into dauer stage. Transcriptome analysis showed that the transcription of genes involved in larval physiology and dauer metabolism is highly affected by the daf-42 mutation. Contrary to the notion that essential genes that control the life and death of an organism may be well conserved across diverse species, daf-42 is an evolutionarily young gene conserved only in the Caenorhabditis genus. Our study shows that dauer formation is a vital process that is controlled not only by conserved genes but also by newly emerged genes, providing important insights into evolutionary mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisy S Lim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Department of Convergent Bioscience and Informatics, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
| | - Wonjoo Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Nari Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Hee Lee
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Korea Basic Science Institute, Ochang, Cheongju, Chungbuk 28119, Republic of Korea
| | - Daehan Lee
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Junho Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
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24
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Johnson LC, Vo AA, Clancy JC, Myles KM, Pooranachithra M, Aguilera J, Levenson MT, Wohlenberg C, Rechtsteiner A, Ragle JM, Chisholm AD, Ward JD. NHR-23 activity is necessary for C. elegans developmental progression and apical extracellular matrix structure and function. Development 2023; 150:dev201085. [PMID: 37129010 PMCID: PMC10233720 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Nematode molting is a remarkable process where animals must repeatedly build a new apical extracellular matrix (aECM) beneath a previously built aECM that is subsequently shed. The nuclear hormone receptor NHR-23 (also known as NR1F1) is an important regulator of C. elegans molting. NHR-23 expression oscillates in the epidermal epithelium, and soma-specific NHR-23 depletion causes severe developmental delay and death. Tissue-specific RNAi suggests that nhr-23 acts primarily in seam and hypodermal cells. NHR-23 coordinates the expression of factors involved in molting, lipid transport/metabolism and remodeling of the aECM. NHR-23 depletion causes dampened expression of a nas-37 promoter reporter and a loss of reporter oscillation. The cuticle collagen ROL-6 and zona pellucida protein NOAH-1 display aberrant annular localization and severe disorganization over the seam cells after NHR-23 depletion, while the expression of the adult-specific cuticle collagen BLI-1 is diminished and frequently found in patches. Consistent with these localization defects, the cuticle barrier is severely compromised when NHR-23 is depleted. Together, this work provides insight into how NHR-23 acts in the seam and hypodermal cells to coordinate aECM regeneration during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Londen C. Johnson
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - An A. Vo
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - John C. Clancy
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Krista M. Myles
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Murugesan Pooranachithra
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Joseph Aguilera
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Max T. Levenson
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Chloe Wohlenberg
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Andreas Rechtsteiner
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - James Matthew Ragle
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Andrew D. Chisholm
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jordan D. Ward
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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25
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Morton EA, Hall AN, Cuperus JT, Queitsch C. Substantial rDNA copy number reductions alter timing of development and produce variable tissue-specific phenotypes in C. elegans. Genetics 2023; 224:iyad039. [PMID: 36919976 PMCID: PMC10474940 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The genes that encode ribosomal RNAs are present in several hundred copies in most eukaryotes. These vast arrays of repetitive ribosomal DNA (rDNA) have been implicated not just in ribosome biogenesis, but also aging, cancer, genome stability, and global gene expression. rDNA copy number is highly variable among and within species; this variability is thought to associate with traits relevant to human health and disease. Here we investigate the phenotypic consequences of multicellular life at the lower bounds of rDNA copy number. We use the model Caenorhabditis elegans, which has previously been found to complete embryogenesis using only maternally provided ribosomes. We find that individuals with rDNA copy number reduced to ∼5% of wild type are capable of further development with variable penetrance. Such individuals are sterile and exhibit severe morphological defects, particularly in post-embryonically dividing tissues such as germline and vulva. Developmental completion and fertility are supported by an rDNA copy number ∼10% of wild type, with substantially delayed development. Worms with rDNA copy number reduced to ∼33% of wild type display a subtle developmental timing defect that was absent in worms with higher copy numbers. Our results support the hypothesis that rDNA requirements vary across tissues and indicate that the minimum rDNA copy number for fertile adulthood is substantially less than the lowest naturally observed total copy number. The phenotype of individuals with severely reduced rDNA copy number is highly variable in penetrance and presentation, highlighting the need for continued investigation into the biological consequences of rDNA copy number variation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ashley N Hall
- Wisconsin Energy Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53726, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Josh T Cuperus
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Christine Queitsch
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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26
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O’Rourke D, Gravato-Nobre MJ, Stroud D, Pritchett E, Barker E, Price RL, Robinson SA, Spiro S, Kuwabara P, Hodgkin J. Isolation and molecular identification of nematode surface mutants with resistance to bacterial pathogens. G3 (Bethesda) 2023; 13:jkad056. [PMID: 36911920 PMCID: PMC10151413 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
Numerous mutants of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans with surface abnormalities have been isolated by utilizing their resistance to a variety of bacterial pathogens (Microbacterium nematophilum, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, and 2 Leucobacter strains), all of which are able to cause disease or death when worms are grown on bacterial lawns containing these pathogens. Previous work led to the identification of 9 srf or bus genes; here, we report molecular identification and characterization of a further 10 surface-affecting genes. Three of these were found to encode factors implicated in glycosylation (srf-2, bus-5, and bus-22), like several of those previously reported; srf-2 belongs to the GT92 family of putative galactosyltransferases, and bus-5 is homologous to human dTDP-D-glucose 4,6-dehydratase, which is implicated in Catel-Manzke syndrome. Other genes encoded proteins with sequence similarity to phosphatidylinositol phosphatases (bus-6), Patched-related receptors (ptr-15/bus-13), steroid dehydrogenases (dhs-5/bus-21), or glypiation factors (bus-24). Three genes appeared to be nematode-specific (srf-5, bus-10, and bus-28). Many mutants exhibited cuticle fragility as revealed by bleach and detergent sensitivity; this fragility was correlated with increased drug sensitivity, as well as with abnormal skiddy locomotion. Most of the genes examined were found to be expressed in epidermal seam cells, which appear to be important for synthesizing nematode surface coat. The results reveal the genetic and biochemical complexity of this critical surface layer, and provide new tools for its analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delia O’Rourke
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | | | - Dave Stroud
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Emily Pritchett
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Emily Barker
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Rebecca L Price
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Sarah A Robinson
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Simon Spiro
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | | | - Jonathan Hodgkin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
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27
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de la Cruz Ruiz P, Rodríguez-Palero MJ, Askjaer P, Artal-Sanz M. Tissue-specific chromatin binding patterns of C. elegans heterochromatin proteins HPL-1 and HPL-2 reveal differential roles in the regulation of gene expression. Genetics 2023:7147208. [PMID: 37119802 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Heterochromatin is characterized by an enrichment of repetitive elements and low gene density and is often maintained in a repressed state across cell division and differentiation. The silencing is mainly regulated by repressive histone marks, such as H3K9 and H3K27 methylated forms and the heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) family. Here, we analyzed in a tissue-specific manner the binding profile of the two HP1 homologs in Caenorhabditis elegans, HPL-1 and HPL-2, at the L4 developmental stage. We identified the genome-wide binding profile of intestinal and hypodermal HPL-2 and intestinal HPL-1 and compared them to heterochromatin marks and other features. HPL-2 associated preferentially to the distal arms of autosomes and correlated positively with methylated forms of H3K9 and H3K27. HPL-1 was also enriched in regions containing H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 but exhibited a more even distribution between autosome arms and centers. HPL-2 showed a differential tissue-specific enrichment for repetitive elements, conversely with HPL-1 that exhibited a poor association. Finally, we found a significant intersection of genomic regions bound by the BLMP-1/PRDM1 transcription factor and intestinal HPL-1, suggesting a co-repression role during cell differentiation. Our study uncovers both shared and singular properties of conserved HP1 proteins, providing information about genomic binding preferences in relation to their role as heterochromatic markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia de la Cruz Ruiz
- Andalusian Centre for Developmental Biology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Junta de Andalucía/Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Ctra. de Utrera km. 1, 41013, Seville, Spain
| | - María Jesús Rodríguez-Palero
- Andalusian Centre for Developmental Biology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Junta de Andalucía/Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Ctra. de Utrera km. 1, 41013, Seville, Spain
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Ctra. de Utrera km. 1, 41013, Seville, Spain
| | - Peter Askjaer
- Andalusian Centre for Developmental Biology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Junta de Andalucía/Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Ctra. de Utrera km. 1, 41013, Seville, Spain
| | - Marta Artal-Sanz
- Andalusian Centre for Developmental Biology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Junta de Andalucía/Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Ctra. de Utrera km. 1, 41013, Seville, Spain
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Ctra. de Utrera km. 1, 41013, Seville, Spain
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28
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Horowitz BB, Nanda S, Walhout AJM. A Transcriptional Cofactor Regulatory Network for the C. elegans Intestine. G3 (Bethesda) 2023:7147213. [PMID: 37119809 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
Chromatin modifiers and transcriptional cofactors (collectively referred to as CFs) work with DNA-binding transcription factors (TFs) to regulate gene expression. In multicellular eukaryotes, distinct tissues each execute their own gene expression program for accurate differentiation and subsequent functionality. While the function of TFs in differential gene expression has been studied in detail in many systems, the contribution of CFs has remained less explored. Here we uncovered the contributions of CFs to gene regulation in the Caenorhabditis elegans intestine. We first annotated 366 CFs encoded by the C. elegans genome and assembled a library of 335 RNAi clones. Using this library, we analyzed the effects of individually depleting these CFs on the expression of 19 fluorescent transcriptional reporters in the intestine and identified 216 regulatory interactions. We found that different CFs regulate different promoters, and that both essential and intestinally expressed CFs have the greatest effects on promoter activity. We did not find all members of CF complexes acting on the same set of reporters but instead found diversity in the promoter targets of each complex component. Finally, we found that previously identified activation mechanisms for the acdh-1 promoter use different CFs and TFs. Overall, we demonstrate that CFs function specifically rather than ubiquitously at intestinal promoters and provide an RNAi resource for reverse genetic screens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent B Horowitz
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Shivani Nanda
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Albertha J M Walhout
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
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29
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Fan Q, Li XM, Zhai C, Li B, Li ST, Dong MQ. Somatic nuclear blebbing in Caenorhabditis elegans is not a feature of organismal aging but a potential indicator of germline proliferation in early adulthood. G3 (Bethesda) 2023; 13:jkad029. [PMID: 36735812 PMCID: PMC10085788 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Abnormal nuclear morphology is suggested to be a hallmark of aging and one such abnormality is nuclear blebbing. However, little is known about whether and how nuclear blebbing participates in animal aging, and what regulates it. In this study, we show that the frequency of nuclear blebbing in the hypodermis increases during aging in wild-type C. elegans. These nuclear blebs are enveloped by the nuclear lamina, the inner and the outer nuclear membrane, and 42% of them contain chromatin. Although nuclear blebbing could lead to DNA loss if chromatin-containing blebs detach and fuse with lysosomes, we find by time-lapse imaging that nuclear blebs rarely detach, and the estimated lifetime of a nuclear bleb is 772 h or 32 days. The amount of DNA lost through nuclear blebbing is estimated to be about 0.1% of the total DNA loss by adult Day 11. Furthermore, the frequency of nuclear blebbing does not correlate with the rate of aging in C. elegans. Old age does not necessarily induce nuclear blebbing, neither does starvation, heat stress, or oxidative stress. Intriguingly, we find that proliferation of germ cells promotes nuclear blebbing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Fan
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing 102206, China
- Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Xue-Mei Li
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing 102206, China
- Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Chao Zhai
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing 102206, China
- Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Bin Li
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing 102206, China
- Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Shang-Tong Li
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing 102206, China
- Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Meng-Qiu Dong
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing 102206, China
- Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102206, China
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30
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Xiao Y, Yee C, Zhao CZ, Martinez MAQ, Zhang W, Shen K, Matus DQ, Hammell C. An expandable FLP-ON::TIR1 system for precise spatiotemporal protein degradation in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2023; 223:iyad013. [PMID: 36722258 PMCID: PMC10319979 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The auxin-inducible degradation system has been widely adopted in the Caenorhabditis elegans research community for its ability to empirically control the spatiotemporal expression of target proteins. This system can efficiently degrade auxin-inducible degron (AID)-tagged proteins via the expression of a ligand-activatable AtTIR1 protein derived from A. thaliana that adapts target proteins to the endogenous C. elegans proteasome. While broad expression of AtTIR1 using strong, ubiquitous promoters can lead to rapid degradation of AID-tagged proteins, cell type-specific expression of AtTIR1 using spatially restricted promoters often results in less efficient target protein degradation. To circumvent this limitation, we have developed an FLP/FRT3-based system that functions to reanimate a dormant, high-powered promoter that can drive sufficient AtTIR1 expression in a cell type-specific manner. We benchmark the utility of this system by generating a number of tissue-specific FLP-ON::TIR1 drivers to reveal genetically separable cell type-specific phenotypes for several target proteins. We also demonstrate that the FLP-ON::TIR1 system is compatible with enhanced degron epitopes. Finally, we provide an expandable toolkit utilizing the basic FLP-ON::TIR1 system that can be adapted to drive optimized AtTIR1 expression in any tissue or cell type of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutong Xiao
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Callista Yee
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Chris Z Zhao
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Michael A Q Martinez
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Wan Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Kang Shen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - David Q Matus
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
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31
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Gönczy P, Balestra FR. Sperm-contributed centrioles segregate stochastically into blastomeres of 4-cell stage C. elegans embryos. Genetics 2023; 224:7093008. [PMID: 36988082 PMCID: PMC10158834 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Whereas both sperm and egg contribute nuclear genetic material to the zygote in metazoan organisms, the inheritance of other cellular constituents is unequal between the two gametes. Thus, two copies of the centriole are contributed solely by the sperm to the zygote in most species. Centrioles can have a stereotyped distribution in some asymmetric divisions, but whether sperm-contributed centrioles are distributed in a stereotyped manner in the resulting embryo is not known. Here, we address this question in Caenorhabditis elegans using marked mating experiments, whereby the presence of the two sperm-contributed centrioles is monitored in the embryo using the stable centriolar component SAS-4::GFP, as well as GFP::SAS-7. Our analysis demonstrates that the distribution of sperm-contributed centrioles is stochastic in 4-cell stage embryos. Moreover, using sperm from zyg-1 mutant males that harbor a single centriole, we show that the older sperm-contributed centriole is likewise distributed stochastically in the resulting embryo. Overall, we conclude that, in contrast to the situation during some asymmetric cell divisions, centrioles contributed by the male germ line are distributed stochastically in embryos of C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Gönczy
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), School of Life Sciences
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Fernando R Balestra
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), School of Life Sciences
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
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32
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van Wijk MH, Riksen JAG, Elvin M, Poulin GB, Maulana MI, Kammenga JE, Snoek BL, Sterken MG. Cryptic genetic variation of eQTL architecture revealed by genetic perturbation in C. elegans. G3 (Bethesda) 2023; 13:7067301. [PMID: 36861370 PMCID: PMC10151397 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Genetic perturbation in different genetic backgrounds can cause a range of phenotypes within a species. These phenotypic differences can be the result of the interaction between the genetic background and the perturbation. Previously we reported that perturbation of gld-1, an important player in developmental control of C. elegans, released cryptic genetic variation affecting fitness in different genetic backgrounds. Here we investigated the change in transcriptional architecture. We found 414 genes with a cis-eQTL and 991 genes with a trans-eQTL that were specifically found in the gld-1 RNAi treatment. In total, we detected 16 eQTL-hotspots, of which 7 were only found in the gld-1 RNAi treatment. Enrichment analysis of those 7 hotspots showed that the regulated genes were associated with neurons and the pharynx. Furthermore, we found evidence of accelerated transcriptional aging in the gld-1 RNAi treated nematodes. Overall, our results illustrate that studying CGV leads to the discovery of hidden polymorphic regulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marijke H van Wijk
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Joost A G Riksen
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Mark Elvin
- Peak Proteins, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 4TG, United Kingdom
| | - Gino B Poulin
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Function, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Oxford Road, M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Muhammad I Maulana
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan E Kammenga
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Basten L Snoek
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mark G Sterken
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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33
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Dranchak PK, Oliphant E, Queme B, Lamy L, Wang Y, Huang R, Xia M, Tao D, Inglese J. In vivo quantitative high-throughput screening for drug discovery and comparative toxicology. Dis Model Mech 2023; 16:287027. [PMID: 36786055 PMCID: PMC10067442 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Quantitative high-throughput screening (qHTS) pharmacologically evaluates chemical libraries for therapeutic uses, toxicological risk and, increasingly, for academic probe discovery. Phenotypic high-throughput screening assays interrogate molecular pathways, often relying on cell culture systems, historically less focused on multicellular organisms. Caenorhabditis elegans has served as a eukaryotic model organism for human biology by virtue of genetic conservation and experimental tractability. Here, a paradigm enabling C. elegans qHTS using 384-well microtiter plate laser-scanning cytometry is described, in which GFP-expressing organisms revealing phenotype-modifying structure-activity relationships guide subsequent life-stage and proteomic analyses, and Escherichia coli bacterial ghosts, a non-replicating nutrient source, allow compound exposures over two life cycles, mitigating bacterial overgrowth complications. We demonstrate the method with libraries of anti-infective agents, or substances of toxicological concern. Each was tested in seven-point titration to assess the feasibility of nematode-based in vivo qHTS, and examples of follow-up strategies were provided to study organism-based chemotype selectivity and subsequent network perturbations with a physiological impact. We anticipate that this qHTS approach will enable analysis of C. elegans orthologous phenotypes of human pathologies to facilitate drug library profiling for a range of therapeutic indications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia K Dranchak
- Department of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Erin Oliphant
- Department of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Bryan Queme
- Department of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Laurence Lamy
- Department of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Yuhong Wang
- Department of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Ruili Huang
- Department of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Menghang Xia
- Department of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Dingyin Tao
- Department of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - James Inglese
- Department of Preclinical Innovation, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
- Metabolic Medicine Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA
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34
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Brandel-Ankrapp KL, Arey RN. Uncovering novel regulators of memory using C. elegans genetic and genomic analysis. Biochem Soc Trans 2023; 51:161-171. [PMID: 36744642 PMCID: PMC10518207 DOI: 10.1042/bst20220455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
How organisms learn and encode memory is an outstanding question in neuroscience research. Specifically, how memories are acquired and consolidated at the level of molecular and gene pathways remains unclear. In addition, memory is disrupted in a wide variety of neurological disorders; therefore, discovering molecular regulators of memory may reveal therapeutic targets for these disorders. C. elegans are an excellent model to uncover molecular and genetic regulators of memory. Indeed, the nematode's invariant neuronal lineage, fully mapped genome, and conserved associative behaviors have allowed the development of a breadth of genetic and genomic tools to examine learning and memory. In this mini-review, we discuss novel and exciting genetic and genomic techniques used to examine molecular and genetic underpinnings of memory from the level of the whole-worm to tissue-specific and cell-type specific approaches with high spatiotemporal resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie L. Brandel-Ankrapp
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, U.S.A
- Center for Precision Environmental Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, U.S.A
| | - Rachel N. Arey
- Center for Precision Environmental Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, U.S.A
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, U.S.A
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35
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Kropp PA, Rogers P, Kelly SE, McWhirter R, Goff WD, Levitan IM, Miller DM, Golden A. Patient-specific variants of NFU1/NFU-1 disrupt cholinergic signaling in a model of multiple mitochondrial dysfunctions syndrome 1. Dis Model Mech 2023; 16:286662. [PMID: 36645076 PMCID: PMC9922734 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuromuscular dysfunction is a common feature of mitochondrial diseases and frequently presents as ataxia, spasticity and/or dystonia, all of which can severely impact individuals with mitochondrial diseases. Dystonia is one of the most common symptoms of multiple mitochondrial dysfunctions syndrome 1 (MMDS1), a disease associated with mutations in the causative gene (NFU1) that impair iron-sulfur cluster biogenesis. We have generated Caenorhabditis elegans strains that recreated patient-specific point variants in the C. elegans ortholog (nfu-1) that result in allele-specific dysfunction. Each of these mutants, Gly147Arg and Gly166Cys, have altered acetylcholine signaling at neuromuscular junctions, but opposite effects on activity and motility. We found that the Gly147Arg variant was hypersensitive to acetylcholine and that knockdown of acetylcholine release rescued nearly all neuromuscular phenotypes of this variant. In contrast, we found that the Gly166Cys variant caused predominantly postsynaptic acetylcholine hypersensitivity due to an unclear mechanism. These results are important for understanding the neuromuscular conditions of MMDS1 patients and potential avenues for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter A Kropp
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.,Biology Department, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH 43022, USA
| | - Philippa Rogers
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Sydney E Kelly
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Rebecca McWhirter
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Willow D Goff
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.,Biology Department, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY 13346, USA
| | - Ian M Levitan
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - David M Miller
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.,Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Andy Golden
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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36
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Martinez MAQ, Mullarkey AA, Yee C, Zhao CZ, Zhang W, Shen K, Matus DQ. Reevaluating the relationship between EGL-43 (EVI1) and LIN-12 (Notch) during C. elegans anchor cell invasion. Biol Open 2022; 11:bio059668. [PMID: 36445013 PMCID: PMC9751802 DOI: 10.1242/bio.059668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of the Caenorhabditis elegans reproductive tract is orchestrated by the anchor cell (AC). This occurs in part through a cell invasion event that connects the uterine and vulval tissues. Several key transcription factors regulate AC invasion, such as EGL-43, HLH-2, and NHR-67. Specifically, these transcription factors function together to maintain the post-mitotic state of the AC, a requirement for AC invasion. Recently, a mechanistic connection has been made between loss of EGL-43 and AC cell-cycle entry. The current model states that EGL-43 represses LIN-12 (Notch) expression to prevent AC proliferation, suggesting that Notch signaling has mitogenic effects in the invasive AC. To reexamine the relationship between EGL-43 and LIN-12, we first designed and implemented a heterologous co-expression system called AIDHB that combines the auxin-inducible degron (AID) system of plants with a live cell-cycle sensor based on human DNA helicase B (DHB). After validating AIDHB using AID-tagged GFP, we sought to test it by using AID-tagged alleles of egl-43 and lin-12. Auxin-induced degradation of either EGL-43 or LIN-12 resulted in the expected AC phenotypes. Lastly, we seized the opportunity to pair AIDHB with RNAi to co-deplete LIN-12 and EGL-43, respectively, which revealed that LIN-12 is not required for AC proliferation following loss of EGL-43.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A. Q. Martinez
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Angelina A. Mullarkey
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Callista Yee
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Chris Z. Zhao
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Wan Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Kang Shen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - David Q. Matus
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
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37
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Winkenbach LP, Parker DM, Williams RTP, Nishimura EO. The ERM-1 membrane-binding domain directs erm-1 mRNA localization to the plasma membrane in the C. elegans embryo. Development 2022; 149:279335. [PMID: 36314842 PMCID: PMC9793419 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
mRNA localization and transport are integral in regulating gene expression. In Caenorhabditis elegans embryos, the maternally inherited mRNA erm-1 (Ezrin/Radixin/Moesin) becomes concentrated in anterior blastomeres. erm-1 mRNA localizes within those blastomeres to the plasma membrane where the essential ERM-1 protein, a membrane-actin linker, is also found. We demonstrate that the localization of erm-1 mRNA to the plasma membrane is translation dependent and requires its encoded N-terminal, membrane-binding (FERM) domain. By perturbing translation through multiple methods, we found that erm-1 mRNA localization at the plasma membrane persisted only if the nascent peptide remained in complex with the translating mRNA. Indeed, re-coding the erm-1 mRNA coding sequence while preserving the encoded amino acid sequence did not disrupt erm-1 mRNA localization, corroborating that the information directing mRNA localization resides within its membrane-binding protein domain. A single-molecule inexpensive fluorescence in situ hybridization screen of 17 genes encoding similar membrane-binding domains identified three plasma membrane-localized mRNAs in the early embryo. Ten additional transcripts showed potential membrane localization later in development. These findings point to a translation-dependent pathway for localization of mRNAs encoding membrane-associated proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay P. Winkenbach
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Dylan M. Parker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - Robert T. P. Williams
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Erin Osborne Nishimura
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA,Author for correspondence ()
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38
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O'Keeffe C, Greenwald I. EGFR signal transduction is downregulated in C. elegans vulval precursor cells during dauer diapause. Development 2022; 149:dev201094. [PMID: 36227589 PMCID: PMC9793418 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans larvae display developmental plasticity in response to environmental conditions: in adverse conditions, second-stage larvae enter a reversible, long-lived dauer stage instead of proceeding to reproductive adulthood. Dauer entry interrupts vulval induction and is associated with a reprogramming-like event that preserves the multipotency of vulval precursor cells (VPCs), allowing vulval development to reinitiate if conditions improve. Vulval induction requires the LIN-3/EGF-like signal from the gonad, which activates EGFR-Ras-ERK signal transduction in the nearest VPC, P6.p. Here, using a biosensor and live imaging we show that EGFR-Ras-ERK activity is downregulated in P6.p in dauers. We investigated this process using gene mutations or transgenes to manipulate different steps of the pathway, and by analyzing LET-23/EGFR subcellular localization during dauer life history. We found that the response to EGF is attenuated at or upstream of Ras activation, and discuss potential membrane-associated mechanisms that could achieve this. We also describe other findings pertaining to the maintenance of VPC competence and quiescence in dauer larvae. Our analysis indicates that VPCs have L2-like and unique dauer stage features rather than features of L3 VPCs in continuous development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine O'Keeffe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Iva Greenwald
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
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39
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Cassani M, Seydoux G. Specialized germline P-bodies are required to specify germ cell fate in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. Development 2022; 149:dev200920. [PMID: 36196602 PMCID: PMC9686995 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
In animals with germ plasm, specification of the germline involves 'germ granules', cytoplasmic condensates that enrich maternal transcripts in the germline founder cells. In Caenorhabditis elegans embryos, P granules enrich maternal transcripts, but surprisingly P granules are not essential for germ cell fate specification. Here, we describe a second condensate in the C. elegans germ plasm. Like canonical P-bodies found in somatic cells, 'germline P-bodies' contain regulators of mRNA decapping and deadenylation and, in addition, the intrinsically-disordered proteins MEG-1 and MEG-2 and the TIS11-family RNA-binding protein POS-1. Embryos lacking meg-1 and meg-2 do not stabilize P-body components, misregulate POS-1 targets, mis-specify the germline founder cell and do not develop a germline. Our findings suggest that specification of the germ line involves at least two distinct condensates that independently enrich and regulate maternal mRNAs in the germline founder cells. This article has an associated 'The people behind the papers' interview.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline Cassani
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Geraldine Seydoux
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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40
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Bhatia S, Hunter CP. SID-4/NCK-1 is important for dsRNA import in Caenorhabditis elegans. G3 (Bethesda) 2022; 12:6722623. [PMID: 36165710 PMCID: PMC9635667 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
RNA interference is sequence-specific gene silencing triggered by double-stranded RNA. Systemic RNA interference is where double-stranded RNA, expressed or introduced into 1 cell, is transported to and initiates RNA interference in other cells. Systemic RNA interference is very efficient in Caenorhabditis elegans and genetic screens for systemic RNA interference-defective mutants have identified RNA transporters (SID-1, SID-2, and SID-5) and a signaling protein (SID-3). Here, we report that SID-4 is nck-1, a C. elegans NCK-like adaptor protein. sid-4 null mutations cause a weak, dose-sensitive, systemic RNA interference defect and can be effectively rescued by SID-4 expression in target tissues only, implying a role in double-stranded RNA import. SID-4 and SID-3 (ACK-1 kinase) homologs interact in mammals and insects, suggesting that they may function in a common signaling pathway; however, a sid-3; sid-4 double mutants showed additive resistance to RNA interference, suggesting that these proteins likely interact with other signaling pathways as well. A bioinformatic screen coupled to RNA interference sensitivity tests identified 23 additional signaling components with weak RNA interference-defective phenotypes. These observations suggest that environmental conditions may modulate systemic RNA interference efficacy, and indeed, sid-3 and sid-4 are required for growth temperature effects on systemic RNA interference silencing efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonya Bhatia
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138, USA
| | - Craig P Hunter
- Corresponding author: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, 16 Divinity Avenue, Harvard University, Cambridge MA, 02138 USA.
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41
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Serre JM, Lucas B, Martin SCT, Heier JA, Shao X, Hardin J. C. elegans srGAP is an α-catenin M domain-binding protein that strengthens cadherin-dependent adhesion during morphogenesis. Development 2022; 149:dev200775. [PMID: 36125129 PMCID: PMC10655919 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The cadherin-catenin complex (CCC) is central to embryonic development and tissue repair, yet how CCC binding partners function alongside core CCC components remains poorly understood. Here, we establish a previously unappreciated role for an evolutionarily conserved protein, the slit-robo GTPase-activating protein SRGP-1/srGAP, in cadherin-dependent morphogenetic processes in the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo. SRGP-1 binds to the M domain of the core CCC component, HMP-1/α-catenin, via its C terminus. The SRGP-1 C terminus is sufficient to target it to adherens junctions, but only during later embryonic morphogenesis, when junctional tension is known to increase. Surprisingly, mutations that disrupt stabilizing salt bridges in the M domain block this recruitment. Loss of SRGP-1 leads to an increase in mobility and decrease of junctional HMP-1. In sensitized genetic backgrounds with weakened adherens junctions, loss of SRGP-1 leads to late embryonic failure. Rescue of these phenotypes requires the C terminus of SRGP-1 but also other domains of the protein. Taken together, these data establish a role for an srGAP in stabilizing and organizing the CCC during epithelial morphogenesis by binding to a partially closed conformation of α-catenin at junctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel M. Serre
- Program in Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Bethany Lucas
- Department of Biology, Regis University, 3333 Regis Blvd., Denver, CO 80221, USA
| | - Sterling C. T. Martin
- Biophysics Graduate Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jonathon A. Heier
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Xiangqiang Shao
- Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jeff Hardin
- Program in Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Biophysics Graduate Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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42
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Rodrigues NTL, Bland T, Borrego-Pinto J, Ng K, Hirani N, Gu Y, Foo S, Goehring NW. SAIBR: a simple, platform-independent method for spectral autofluorescence correction. Development 2022; 149:dev200545. [PMID: 35713287 PMCID: PMC9445497 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Biological systems are increasingly viewed through a quantitative lens that demands accurate measures of gene expression and local protein concentrations. CRISPR/Cas9 gene tagging has enabled increased use of fluorescence to monitor proteins at or near endogenous levels under native regulatory control. However, owing to typically lower expression levels, experiments using endogenously tagged genes run into limits imposed by autofluorescence (AF). AF is often a particular challenge in wavelengths occupied by commonly used fluorescent proteins (GFP, mNeonGreen). Stimulated by our work in C. elegans, we describe and validate Spectral Autofluorescence Image Correction By Regression (SAIBR), a simple platform-independent protocol and FIJI plug-in to correct for autofluorescence using standard filter sets and illumination conditions. Validated for use in C. elegans embryos, starfish oocytes and fission yeast, SAIBR is ideal for samples with a single dominant AF source; it achieves accurate quantitation of fluorophore signal, and enables reliable detection and quantification of even weakly expressed proteins. Thus, SAIBR provides a highly accessible low-barrier way to incorporate AF correction as standard for researchers working on a broad variety of cell and developmental systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tom Bland
- Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
- Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | - KangBo Ng
- Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
- Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | - Ying Gu
- Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Sherman Foo
- Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Nathan W. Goehring
- Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
- Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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43
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Pallotto LM, Dilks CM, Park YJ, Smit RB, Lu B, Gopalakrishnan C, Gilleard JS, Andersen EC, Mains PE. Interactions of C. elegans β-tubulins with the microtubule inhibitor and anthelmintic drug albendazole. Genetics 2022; 221:6613138. [PMID: 35731216 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyac093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasitic nematodes are major human and agricultural pests, and benzimidazoles are amongst the most important broad spectrum anthelmintic drug class used for their control. Benzimidazole resistance is now widespread in many species of parasitic nematodes in livestock globally and an emerging concern for the sustainable control of human soil transmitted helminths. β-tubulin is the major benzimidazole target, although other genes may influence resistance. Among the six C. elegans β-tubulin genes, loss of ben-1 causes resistance without other apparent defects. Here, we explored the genetics of C. elegans β-tubulin genes in relation to the response to the benzimidazole derivative albendazole. The most highly expressed β-tubulin isotypes, encoded by tbb-1 and tbb-2, were known to be redundant with each other for viability, and their products are predicted not to bind benzimidazoles. We found that tbb-2 mutants, and to a lesser extent tbb-1 mutants, were hypersensitive to albendazole. The double mutant tbb-2 ben-1 is uncoordinated and short, resembling the wild type exposed to albendazole, but the tbb-1 ben-1 double mutant did not show the same phenotypes. These results suggest that tbb-2 is a modifier of ABZ sensitivity. To better understand how BEN-1 mutates to cause benzimidazole resistance, we isolated mutants resistant to albendazole and found that 15 of 16 mutations occurred in the ben-1 coding region. Mutations ranged from likely nulls to hypomorphs, and several corresponded to residues that cause resistance in other organisms. Null alleles of ben-1 are albendazole-resistant and BEN-1 shows high sequence identity with tubulins from other organisms, suggesting that many amino acid changes could cause resistance. However, our results suggest that missense mutations conferring resistance are not evenly distributed across all possible conserved sites. Independent of their roles in benzimidazole resistance, tbb-1 and tbb-2 may have specialized functions as null mutants of tbb-1 or tbb-2 were cold or heat sensitive, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda M Pallotto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Clayton M Dilks
- Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.,Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Ye-Jean Park
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Ryan B Smit
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Brian Lu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada
| | | | - John S Gilleard
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Host-Parasite Interactions (HPI) Program, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1 Canada
| | - Erik C Andersen
- Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Paul E Mains
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada
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Lu T, Smit RB, Soueid H, Mains PE. STRIPAK regulation of katanin microtubule severing in the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo. Genetics 2022; 221:iyac043. [PMID: 35298637 PMCID: PMC9071564 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyac043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Microtubule severing plays important role in cell structure and cell division. The microtubule severing protein katanin, composed of the MEI-1/MEI-2 subunits in Caenorhabditis elegans, is required for oocyte meiotic spindle formation; however, it must be inactivated for mitosis to proceed as continued katanin expression is lethal. Katanin activity is regulated by 2 ubiquitin-based protein degradation pathways. Another ubiquitin ligase, HECD-1, the homolog of human HECTD1/HECT domain E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1, regulates katanin activity without affecting katanin levels. In other organisms, HECD-1 is a component of the striatin-interacting kinase phosphatase complex, which affects cell proliferation and a variety of signaling pathways. Here we conducted a systematic screen of how mutations in striatin-interacting kinase phosphatase components affect katanin function in C. elegans. Striatin-interacting kinase phosphatase core components (FARL-11, CASH-1, LET-92, and GCK-1) were katanin inhibitors in mitosis and activators in meiosis, much like HECD-1. By contrast, variable components (SLMP-1, OTUB-2) functioned as activators of katanin activity in mitosis, indicating they may function to alter striatin-interacting kinase phosphatase core function. The core component CCM-3 acted as an inhibitor at both divisions, while other components (MOB-4, C49H3.6) showed weak interactions with katanin mutants. Additional experiments indicate that katanin may be involved with the centralspindlin complex and a tubulin chaperone. HECD-1 shows ubiquitous expression in the cytoplasm throughout meiosis and early development. The differing functions of the different subunits could contribute to the diverse functions of the striatin-interacting kinase phosphatase complex in C. elegans and other organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tammy Lu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AL T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Ryan B Smit
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AL T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Hanifa Soueid
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AL T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Paul E Mains
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AL T2N 4N1, Canada
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45
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Mahadik SS, Lundquist EA. The PH/MyTH4/FERM molecule MAX-1 inhibits UNC-5 activity in the regulation of VD growth cone protrusion in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2022; 221:iyac047. [PMID: 35348689 PMCID: PMC9071540 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyac047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
UNC-6/Netrin is a secreted conserved guidance cue that regulates dorsal-ventral axon guidance of Caenorhabditis elegans and in the vertebral spinal cord. In the polarity/protrusion model of VD growth cone guidance away from ventrally expressed UNC-6 (repulsion), UNC-6 first polarizes the growth cone via the UNC-5 receptor such that filopodial protrusions are biased dorsally. UNC-6 then regulates a balance of protrusion in the growth cone based upon this polarity. UNC-5 inhibits protrusion ventrally, and the UNC-6 receptor UNC-40/DCC stimulates protrusion dorsally, resulting in net dorsal growth cone outgrowth. UNC-5 inhibits protrusion through the flavin monooxygenases FMO-1, 4, and 5 and possible actin destabilization, and inhibits pro-protrusive microtubule entry into the growth cone utilizing UNC-33/CRMP. The PH/MyTH4/FERM myosin-like protein was previously shown to act with UNC-5 in VD axon guidance utilizing axon guidance endpoint analysis. Here, we analyzed the effects of MAX-1 on VD growth cone morphology during outgrowth. We found that max-1 mutant growth cones were smaller and less protrusive than wild type, the opposite of the unc-5 mutant phenotype. Furthermore, genetic interactions suggest that MAX-1 might normally inhibit UNC-5 activity, such that in a max-1 mutant growth cone, UNC-5 is overactive. Our results, combined with previous studies suggesting that MAX-1 might regulate UNC-5 levels in the cell or plasma membrane localization, suggest that MAX-1 attenuates UNC-5 signaling by regulating UNC-5 stability or trafficking. Alternately, MAX-1 might inhibit UNC-5 independent of this known mechanism. We also show that the effects of MAX-1 in growth cone protrusion are independent of UNC-40/DCC, UNC-33/CRMP, and UNC-34/Enabled. In summary, in the context of growth cone protrusion, MAX-1 inhibits UNC-5, demonstrating the mechanistic insight that can be gained by analyzing growth cones during outgrowth in addition to axon guidance endpoint analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Snehal S Mahadik
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - Erik A Lundquist
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
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46
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Phillips CM, Updike DL. Germ granules and gene regulation in the Caenorhabditis elegans germline. Genetics 2022; 220:6541922. [PMID: 35239965 PMCID: PMC8893257 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The transparency of Caenorhabditis elegans provides a unique window to observe and study the function of germ granules. Germ granules are specialized ribonucleoprotein (RNP) assemblies specific to the germline cytoplasm, and they are largely conserved across Metazoa. Within the germline cytoplasm, they are positioned to regulate mRNA abundance, translation, small RNA production, and cytoplasmic inheritance to help specify and maintain germline identity across generations. Here we provide an overview of germ granules and focus on the significance of more recent observations that describe how they further demix into sub-granules, each with unique compositions and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn M Phillips
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA,Corresponding author: (C.M.P.); (D.L.U.)
| | - Dustin L Updike
- The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04672, USA,Corresponding author: (C.M.P.); (D.L.U.)
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47
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Moseley-Alldredge M, Sheoran S, Yoo H, O’Keefe C, Richmond JE, Chen L. A role for the Erk MAPK pathway in modulating SAX-7/L1CAM-dependent locomotion in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2022; 220:iyab215. [PMID: 34849872 PMCID: PMC9097276 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
L1CAMs are immunoglobulin cell adhesion molecules that function in nervous system development and function. Besides being associated with autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders, impaired L1CAM function also underlies the X-linked L1 syndrome, which encompasses a group of neurological conditions, including spastic paraplegia and congenital hydrocephalus. Studies on vertebrate and invertebrate L1CAMs established conserved roles that include axon guidance, dendrite morphogenesis, synapse development, and maintenance of neural architecture. We previously identified a genetic interaction between the Caenorhabditis elegans L1CAM encoded by the sax-7 gene and RAB-3, a GTPase that functions in synaptic neurotransmission; rab-3; sax-7 mutant animals exhibit synthetic locomotion abnormalities and neuronal dysfunction. Here, we show that this synergism also occurs when loss of SAX-7 is combined with mutants of other genes encoding key players of the synaptic vesicle (SV) cycle. In contrast, sax-7 does not interact with genes that function in synaptogenesis. These findings suggest a postdevelopmental role for sax-7 in the regulation of synaptic activity. To assess this possibility, we conducted electrophysiological recordings and ultrastructural analyses at neuromuscular junctions; these analyses did not reveal obvious synaptic abnormalities. Lastly, based on a forward genetic screen for suppressors of the rab-3; sax-7 synthetic phenotypes, we determined that mutants in the ERK Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathway can suppress the rab-3; sax-7 locomotion defects. Moreover, we established that Erk signaling acts in a subset of cholinergic neurons in the head to promote coordinated locomotion. In combination, these results suggest a modulatory role for Erk MAPK in L1CAM-dependent locomotion in C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda Moseley-Alldredge
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology & Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Developmental Biology Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Seema Sheoran
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Hayoung Yoo
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology & Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Calvin O’Keefe
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology & Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Janet E Richmond
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Lihsia Chen
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology & Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Developmental Biology Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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48
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Hills-Muckey K, Martinez MAQ, Stec N, Hebbar S, Saldanha J, Medwig-Kinney TN, Moore FEQ, Ivanova M, Morao A, Ward JD, Moss EG, Ercan S, Zinovyeva AY, Matus DQ, Hammell CM. An engineered, orthogonal auxin analog/AtTIR1(F79G) pairing improves both specificity and efficacy of the auxin degradation system in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2022; 220:iyab174. [PMID: 34739048 PMCID: PMC9097248 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The auxin-inducible degradation system in C. elegans allows for spatial and temporal control of protein degradation via heterologous expression of a single Arabidopsis thaliana F-box protein, transport inhibitor response 1 (AtTIR1). In this system, exogenous auxin (Indole-3-acetic acid; IAA) enhances the ability of AtTIR1 to function as a substrate recognition component that adapts engineered degron-tagged proteins to the endogenous C. elegans E3 ubiquitin ligases complex [SKR-1/2-CUL-1-F-box (SCF)], targeting them for degradation by the proteosome. While this system has been employed to dissect the developmental functions of many C. elegans proteins, we have found that several auxin-inducible degron (AID)-tagged proteins are constitutively degraded by AtTIR1 in the absence of auxin, leading to undesired loss-of-function phenotypes. In this manuscript, we adapt an orthogonal auxin derivative/mutant AtTIR1 pair [C. elegans AID version 2 (C.e.AIDv2)] that transforms the specificity of allosteric regulation of TIR1 from IAA to one that is dependent on an auxin derivative harboring a bulky aryl group (5-Ph-IAA). We find that a mutant AtTIR1(F79G) allele that alters the ligand-binding interface of TIR1 dramatically reduces ligand-independent degradation of multiple AID*-tagged proteins. In addition to solving the ectopic degradation problem for some AID-targets, the addition of 5-Ph-IAA to culture media of animals expressing AtTIR1(F79G) leads to more penetrant loss-of-function phenotypes for AID*-tagged proteins than those elicited by the AtTIR1-IAA pairing at similar auxin analog concentrations. The improved specificity and efficacy afforded by the mutant AtTIR1(F79G) allele expand the utility of the AID system and broaden the number of proteins that can be effectively targeted with it.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael A Q Martinez
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Natalia Stec
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | - Shilpa Hebbar
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Joanne Saldanha
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Taylor N Medwig-Kinney
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Frances E Q Moore
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Maria Ivanova
- Department of Molecular Biology, Rowan University, Stratford, NJ 08084, USA
| | - Ana Morao
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - J D Ward
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Eric G Moss
- Department of Molecular Biology, Rowan University, Stratford, NJ 08084, USA
| | - Sevinc Ercan
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Anna Y Zinovyeva
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - David Q Matus
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
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Medley JC, Hebbar S, Sydzyik JT, Zinovyeva AY. Single nucleotide substitutions effectively block Cas9 and allow for scarless genome editing in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2022; 220:iyab199. [PMID: 34791245 PMCID: PMC8733430 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In Caenorhabditis elegans, germline injection of Cas9 complexes is reliably used to achieve genome editing through homology-directed repair of Cas9-generated DNA breaks. To prevent Cas9 from targeting repaired DNA, additional blocking mutations are often incorporated into homologous repair templates. Cas9 can be blocked either by mutating the PAM sequence that is essential for Cas9 activity or by mutating the guide sequence that targets Cas9 to a specific genomic location. However, it is unclear how many nucleotides within the guide sequence should be mutated, since Cas9 can recognize "off-target" sequences that are imperfectly paired to its guide. In this study, we examined whether single-nucleotide substitutions within the guide sequence are sufficient to block Cas9 and allow for efficient genome editing. We show that a single mismatch within the guide sequence effectively blocks Cas9 and allows for recovery of edited animals. Surprisingly, we found that a low rate of edited animals can be recovered without introducing any blocking mutations, suggesting a temporal block to Cas9 activity in C. elegans. Furthermore, we show that the maternal genome of hermaphrodite animals is preferentially edited over the paternal genome. We demonstrate that maternally provided haplotypes can be selected using balancer chromosomes and propose a method of mutant isolation that greatly reduces screening efforts postinjection. Collectively, our findings expand the repertoire of genome editing strategies in C. elegans and demonstrate that extraneous blocking mutations are not required to recover edited animals when the desired mutation is located within the guide sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey C Medley
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA
| | - Shilpa Hebbar
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA
| | - Joel T Sydzyik
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA
| | - Anna Y Zinovyeva
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA
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Breimann L, Morao AK, Kim J, Jimenez DS, Maryn N, Bikkasani K, Carrozza MJ, Albritton SE, Kramer M, Street LA, Cerimi K, Schumann VF, Bahry E, Preibisch S, Woehler A, Ercan S. The H4K20 demethylase DPY-21 regulates the dynamics of condensin DC binding. J Cell Sci 2021; 135:273768. [PMID: 34918745 PMCID: PMC8917352 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.258818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Condensin is a multi-subunit structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) complex that binds to and compacts chromosomes. Here, we addressed the regulation of condensin binding dynamics using Caenorhabditis elegans condensin DC, which represses X chromosomes in hermaphrodites for dosage compensation. We established fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) using the SMC4 homolog DPY-27 and showed that a well-characterized ATPase mutation abolishes DPY-27 binding to X chromosomes. Next, we performed FRAP in the background of several chromatin modifier mutants that cause varying degrees of X chromosome derepression. The greatest effect was in a null mutant of the H4K20me2 demethylase DPY-21, where the mobile fraction of condensin DC reduced from ∼30% to 10%. In contrast, a catalytic mutant of dpy-21 did not regulate condensin DC mobility. Hi-C sequencing data from the dpy-21 null mutant showed little change compared to wild-type data, uncoupling Hi-C-measured long-range DNA contacts from transcriptional repression of the X chromosomes. Taken together, our results indicate that DPY-21 has a non-catalytic role in regulating the dynamics of condensin DC binding, which is important for transcription repression. Summary: The histone demethylase DPY-21 has catalytic and non-catalytic roles in condensin DC-mediated X chromosome repression. The non-catalytic activity regulates dynamics of condensin DC binding to X chromosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Breimann
- Department of Biology, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.,Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany.,Institute for Biology, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ana Karina Morao
- Department of Biology, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jun Kim
- Department of Biology, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - David Sebastian Jimenez
- Department of Biology, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nina Maryn
- Department of Biology, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Krishna Bikkasani
- Department of Biology, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael J Carrozza
- Department of Biology, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sarah E Albritton
- Department of Biology, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Maxwell Kramer
- Department of Biology, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lena Annika Street
- Department of Biology, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kustrim Cerimi
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Vic-Fabienne Schumann
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ella Bahry
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan Preibisch
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany.,Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Andrew Woehler
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sevinç Ercan
- Department of Biology, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
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