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Herbert AL, Allard CAH, McCoy MJ, Wucherpfennig JI, Krueger SP, Chen HI, Gourlay AN, Jackson KD, Abbo LA, Bennett SH, Sears JD, Rhyne AL, Bellono NW, Kingsley DM. The genetic basis of novel trait gain in walking fish. bioRxiv 2023:2023.10.14.562356. [PMID: 37873105 PMCID: PMC10592820 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.14.562356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
A major goal in biology is to understand how organisms evolve novel traits. Multiple studies have identified genes contributing to regressive evolution, the loss of structures that existed in a recent ancestor. However, fewer examples exist for genes underlying constructive evolution, the gain of novel structures and capabilities in lineages that previously lacked them. Sea robins are fish that have evolved enlarged pectoral fins, six mobile locomotory fin rays (legs) and six novel macroscopic lobes in the central nervous system (CNS) that innervate the corresponding legs. Here, we establish successful husbandry and use a combination of transcriptomics, CRISPR-Cas9 editing, and behavioral assays to identify key transcription factors that are required for leg formation and function in sea robins. We also generate hybrids between two sea robin species with distinct leg morphologies and use allele-specific expression analysis and gene editing to explore the genetic basis of species-specific trait diversity, including a novel sensory gain of function. Collectively, our study establishes sea robins as a new model for studying the genetic basis of novel organ formation, and demonstrates a crucial role for the conserved limb gene tbx3a in the evolution of chemosensory legs in walking fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Herbert
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | - Corey AH Allard
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138 USA
| | - Matthew J McCoy
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | - Julia I Wucherpfennig
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | - Stephanie P Krueger
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138 USA
| | - Heidi I Chen
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | | | - Kohle D Jackson
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | - Lisa A Abbo
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, 02543 USA
| | | | | | | | - Nicholas W Bellono
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138 USA
| | - David M Kingsley
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA 94305 USA
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Allard CAH, Herbert AL, Kingsley DM, Bellono NW. Sea robins. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R704-R706. [PMID: 37433267 PMCID: PMC11073509 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Allard et al. provide an overview of sea robins, a group of benthic fish that have evolved leg-like appendages that they use to walk on the sea floor and find prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey A H Allard
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Amy L Herbert
- Department of Developmental Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - David M Kingsley
- Department of Developmental Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Nicholas W Bellono
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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Wucherpfennig JI, Howes TR, Au JN, Au EH, Roberts Kingman GA, Brady SD, Herbert AL, Reimchen TE, Bell MA, Lowe CB, Dalziel AC, Kingsley DM. Evolution of stickleback spines through independent cis-regulatory changes at HOXDB. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1537-1552. [PMID: 36050398 PMCID: PMC9525239 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01855-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [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: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms leading to new traits or additional features in organisms is a fundamental goal of evolutionary biology. We show that HOXDB regulatory changes have been used repeatedly in different fish genera to alter the length and number of the prominent dorsal spines used to classify stickleback species. In Gasterosteus aculeatus (typically 'three-spine sticklebacks'), a variant HOXDB allele is genetically linked to shortening an existing spine and adding an additional spine. In Apeltes quadracus (typically 'four-spine sticklebacks'), a variant HOXDB allele is associated with lengthening a spine and adding an additional spine in natural populations. The variant alleles alter the same non-coding enhancer region in the HOXDB locus but do so by diverse mechanisms, including single-nucleotide polymorphisms, deletions and transposable element insertions. The independent regulatory changes are linked to anterior expansion or contraction of HOXDB expression. We propose that associated changes in spine lengths and numbers are partial identity transformations in a repeating skeletal series that forms major defensive structures in fish. Our findings support the long-standing hypothesis that natural Hox gene variation underlies key patterning changes in wild populations and illustrate how different mutational mechanisms affecting the same region may produce opposite gene expression changes with similar phenotypic outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia I Wucherpfennig
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Timothy R Howes
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jessica N Au
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Eric H Au
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Shannon D Brady
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Amy L Herbert
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Thomas E Reimchen
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael A Bell
- University of California Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Craig B Lowe
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Anne C Dalziel
- Department of Biology, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - David M Kingsley
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Limbach LE, Penick RL, Casseday RS, Hyland MA, Pontillo EA, Ayele AN, Pitts KM, Ackerman SD, Harty BL, Herbert AL, Monk KR, Petersen SC. Peripheral nerve development in zebrafish requires muscle patterning by tcf15/paraxis. Dev Biol 2022; 490:37-49. [PMID: 35820658 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.07.001] [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: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The vertebrate peripheral nervous system (PNS) is an intricate network that conveys sensory and motor information throughout the body. During development, extracellular cues direct the migration of axons and glia through peripheral tissues. Currently, the suite of molecules that govern PNS axon-glial patterning is incompletely understood. To elucidate factors that are critical for peripheral nerve development, we characterized the novel zebrafish mutant, stl159, that exhibits abnormalities in PNS patterning. In these mutants, motor and sensory nerves that develop adjacent to axial muscle fail to extend normally, and neuromasts in the posterior lateral line system, as well as neural crest-derived melanocytes, are incorrectly positioned. The stl159 genetic lesion lies in the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor tcf15, which has been previously implicated in proper development of axial muscles. We find that targeted loss of tcf15 via CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing results in the PNS patterning abnormalities observed in stl159 mutants. Because tcf15 is expressed in developing muscle prior to nerve extension, rather than in neurons or glia, we predict that tcf15 non-cell-autonomously promotes peripheral nerve patterning in zebrafish through regulation of extracellular patterning cues. Our work underscores the importance of muscle-derived factors in PNS development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rocky L Penick
- Department of Neuroscience, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, USA
| | - Rudy S Casseday
- Department of Neuroscience, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, USA
| | | | | | - Afomia N Ayele
- Department of Neuroscience, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, USA
| | | | - Sarah D Ackerman
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Breanne L Harty
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Amy L Herbert
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kelly R Monk
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sarah C Petersen
- Department of Neuroscience, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, USA; Department of Biology, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, USA; Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, MO, USA.
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Harty BL, Coelho F, Pease-Raissi SE, Mogha A, Ackerman SD, Herbert AL, Gereau RW, Golden JP, Lyons DA, Chan JR, Monk KR. Myelinating Schwann cells ensheath multiple axons in the absence of E3 ligase component Fbxw7. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2976. [PMID: 31278268 PMCID: PMC6611888 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10881-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In the central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrocytes myelinate multiple axons; in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), Schwann cells (SCs) myelinate a single axon. Why are the myelinating potentials of these glia so fundamentally different? Here, we find that loss of Fbxw7, an E3 ubiquitin ligase component, enhances the myelinating potential of SCs. Fbxw7 mutant SCs make thicker myelin sheaths and sometimes appear to myelinate multiple axons in a fashion reminiscent of oligodendrocytes. Several Fbxw7 mutant phenotypes are due to dysregulation of mTOR; however, the remarkable ability of mutant SCs to ensheathe multiple axons is independent of mTOR signaling. This indicates distinct roles for Fbxw7 in SC biology including modes of axon interactions previously thought to fundamentally distinguish myelinating SCs from oligodendrocytes. Our data reveal unexpected plasticity in the myelinating potential of SCs, which may have important implications for our understanding of both PNS and CNS myelination and myelin repair. The authors find that deletion from Schwann cells of an E3 ubiquitin ligase component called Fbxw7 leads to a phenotype reminiscent of myelination in the central nervous system where a single oligodendrocyte ensheaths multiple axons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Breanne L Harty
- Thaden School, 410 SE Staggerwing Lane, Bentonville, AR, 72712, USA.,Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.,Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Fernanda Coelho
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Sarah E Pease-Raissi
- Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Amit Mogha
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Sarah D Ackerman
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.,Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, 1440 Franklin Blvd., Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | - Amy L Herbert
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.,Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University, 279W. Campus Dr., Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Robert W Gereau
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University Pain Center, 660S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Judith P Golden
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University Pain Center, 660S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - David A Lyons
- Centre for Brain Discovery Sciences, MS Society Centre for Translational Research, Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research, University of Edinburgh, 49 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Jonah R Chan
- Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Kelly R Monk
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA. .,Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
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Cunningham RL, Herbert AL, Harty BL, Ackerman SD, Monk KR. Mutations in dock1 disrupt early Schwann cell development. Neural Dev 2018; 13:17. [PMID: 30089513 PMCID: PMC6083577 DOI: 10.1186/s13064-018-0114-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In the peripheral nervous system (PNS), specialized glial cells called Schwann cells produce myelin, a lipid-rich insulating sheath that surrounds axons and promotes rapid action potential propagation. During development, Schwann cells must undergo extensive cytoskeletal rearrangements in order to become mature, myelinating Schwann cells. The intracellular mechanisms that drive Schwann cell development, myelination, and accompanying cell shape changes are poorly understood. Methods Through a forward genetic screen in zebrafish, we identified a mutation in the atypical guanine nucleotide exchange factor, dock1, that results in decreased myelination of peripheral axons. Rescue experiments and complementation tests with newly engineered alleles confirmed that mutations in dock1 cause defects in myelination of the PNS. Whole mount in situ hybridization, transmission electron microscopy, and live imaging were used to fully define mutant phenotypes. Results We show that Schwann cells in dock1 mutants can appropriately migrate and are not decreased in number, but exhibit delayed radial sorting and decreased myelination during early stages of development. Conclusions Together, our results demonstrate that mutations in dock1 result in defects in Schwann cell development and myelination. Specifically, loss of dock1 delays radial sorting and myelination of peripheral axons in zebrafish. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13064-018-0114-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L Cunningham
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Amy L Herbert
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Breanne L Harty
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.,Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Sarah D Ackerman
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.,Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | - Kelly R Monk
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA. .,Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
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Drerup CM, Herbert AL, Monk KR, Nechiporuk AV. Regulation of mitochondria-dynactin interaction and mitochondrial retrograde transport in axons. eLife 2017; 6:22234. [PMID: 28414272 PMCID: PMC5413347 DOI: 10.7554/elife.22234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2016] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial transport in axons is critical for neural circuit health and function. While several proteins have been found that modulate bidirectional mitochondrial motility, factors that regulate unidirectional mitochondrial transport have been harder to identify. In a genetic screen, we found a zebrafish strain in which mitochondria fail to attach to the dynein retrograde motor. This strain carries a loss-of-function mutation in actr10, a member of the dynein-associated complex dynactin. The abnormal axon morphology and mitochondrial retrograde transport defects observed in actr10 mutants are distinct from dynein and dynactin mutant axonal phenotypes. In addition, Actr10 lacking the dynactin binding domain maintains its ability to bind mitochondria, arguing for a role for Actr10 in dynactin-mitochondria interaction. Finally, genetic interaction studies implicated Drp1 as a partner in Actr10-dependent mitochondrial retrograde transport. Together, this work identifies Actr10 as a factor necessary for dynactin-mitochondria interaction, enhancing our understanding of how mitochondria properly localize in axons. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.22234.001
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine M Drerup
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States.,National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - Amy L Herbert
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States
| | - Kelly R Monk
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States
| | - Alex V Nechiporuk
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States
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Abstract
In the vertebrate nervous system, the fast conduction of action potentials is potentiated by the myelin sheath, a multi-lamellar, lipid-rich structure that also provides vital trophic and metabolic support to axons. Myelin is elaborated by the plasma membrane of specialized glial cells, oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS) and Schwann cells (SCs) in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The diseases that result from damage to myelin or glia, including multiple sclerosis and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, underscore the importance of these cells for human health. Therefore, an understanding of glial development and myelination is crucial in addressing the etiology of demyelinating diseases and developing patient therapies. In this review, we discuss new insights into the roles of mechanotransduction and cytoskeletal rearrangements as well as activity dependent myelination and axonal maintenance by glia. Together, these discoveries advance our knowledge of myelin and glia in nervous system health and plasticity throughout life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Herbert
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Kelly R Monk
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA; Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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