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Wang G, Guasp R, Salam S, Chuang E, Morera A, Smart AJ, Jimenez D, Shekhar S, Melentijevic I, Nguyen KC, Hall DH, Grant BD, Driscoll M. Mechanical force of uterine occupation enables large vesicle extrusion from proteostressed maternal neurons. bioRxiv 2023:2023.11.13.565361. [PMID: 38014134 PMCID: PMC10680645 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.13.565361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Large vesicle extrusion from neurons may contribute to spreading pathogenic protein aggregates and promoting inflammatory responses, two mechanisms leading to neurodegenerative disease. Factors that regulate extrusion of large vesicles, such as exophers produced by proteostressed C. elegans touch neurons, are poorly understood. Here we document that mechanical force can significantly potentiate exopher extrusion from proteostressed neurons. Exopher production from the C. elegans ALMR neuron peaks at adult day 2 or 3, coinciding with the C. elegans reproductive peak. Genetic disruption of C. elegans germline, sperm, oocytes, or egg/early embryo production can strongly suppress exopher extrusion from the ALMR neurons during the peak period. Conversely, restoring egg production at the late reproductive phase through mating with males or inducing egg retention via genetic interventions that block egg-laying can strongly increase ALMR exopher production. Overall, genetic interventions that promote ALMR exopher production are associated with expanded uterus lengths and genetic interventions that suppress ALMR exopher production are associated with shorter uterus lengths. In addition to the impact of fertilized eggs, ALMR exopher production can be enhanced by filling the uterus with oocytes, dead eggs, or even fluid, supporting that distention consequences, rather than the presence of fertilized eggs, constitute the exopher-inducing stimulus. We conclude that the mechanical force of uterine occupation potentiates exopher extrusion from proximal proteostressed maternal neurons. Our observations draw attention to the potential importance of mechanical signaling in extracellular vesicle production and in aggregate spreading mechanisms, making a case for enhanced attention to mechanobiology in neurodegenerative disease.
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Arnold ML, Cooper J, Androwski R, Ardeshna S, Melentijevic I, Smart J, Guasp RJ, Nguyen KCQ, Bai G, Hall DH, Grant BD, Driscoll M. Intermediate filaments associate with aggresome-like structures in proteostressed C. elegans neurons and influence large vesicle extrusions as exophers. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4450. [PMID: 37488107 PMCID: PMC10366101 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39700-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxic protein aggregates can spread among neurons to promote human neurodegenerative disease pathology. We found that in C. elegans touch neurons intermediate filament proteins IFD-1 and IFD-2 associate with aggresome-like organelles and are required cell-autonomously for efficient production of neuronal exophers, giant vesicles that can carry aggregates away from the neuron of origin. The C. elegans aggresome-like organelles we identified are juxtanuclear, HttPolyQ aggregate-enriched, and dependent upon orthologs of mammalian aggresome adaptor proteins, dynein motors, and microtubule integrity for localized aggregate collection. These key hallmarks indicate that conserved mechanisms drive aggresome formation. Furthermore, we found that human neurofilament light chain (NFL) can substitute for C. elegans IFD-2 in promoting exopher extrusion. Taken together, our results suggest a conserved influence of intermediate filament association with aggresomes and neuronal extrusions that eject potentially toxic material. Our findings expand understanding of neuronal proteostasis and suggest implications for neurodegenerative disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan Lee Arnold
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, USA
| | - Jason Cooper
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, USA
| | - Rebecca Androwski
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, USA
| | - Sohil Ardeshna
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, USA
| | - Ilija Melentijevic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, USA
| | - Joelle Smart
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, USA
| | - Ryan J Guasp
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, USA
| | - Ken C Q Nguyen
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Rose F. Kennedy Center, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
| | - Ge Bai
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, USA
| | - David H Hall
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Rose F. Kennedy Center, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
| | - Barth D Grant
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, USA.
| | - Monica Driscoll
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, USA.
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Abbott M, Banse SA, Melentijevic I, Jarrett CM, Ange JS, Sedore CA, Falkowski R, Blue BW, Coleman-Hulbert AL, Johnson E, Guo M, Lithgow GJ, Phillips PC, Driscoll M. A simplified design for the C. elegans lifespan machine. J Biol Methods 2020; 7:e137. [PMID: 33204740 PMCID: PMC7666331 DOI: 10.14440/jbm.2020.332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) lifespan assays constitute a broadly used approach for investigating the fundamental biology of longevity. Traditional C. elegans lifespan assays require labor-intensive microscopic monitoring of individual animals to evaluate life/death over a period of weeks, making large-scale high throughput studies impractical. The lifespan machine developed by Stroustrup et al. (2013) adapted flatbed scanner technologies to contribute a major technical advance in the efficiency of C. elegans survival assays. Introducing a platform in which large portions of a lifespan assay are automated enabled longevity studies of a scope not possible with previous exclusively manual assays and facilitated novel discovery. Still, as initially described, constructing and operating scanner-based lifespan machines requires considerable effort and expertise. Here we report on design modifications that simplify construction, decrease cost, eliminate certain mechanical failures, and decrease assay workload requirements. The modifications we document should make the lifespan machine more accessible to interested laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Abbott
- Rutgers University, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Stephen A. Banse
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Ilija Melentijevic
- Rutgers University, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Cody M. Jarrett
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Jonathan St. Ange
- Rutgers University, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Christine A. Sedore
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Ron Falkowski
- Rutgers University, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Benjamin W. Blue
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | | | - Erik Johnson
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Max Guo
- Division of Aging Biology, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | | | - Patrick C. Phillips
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Monica Driscoll
- Rutgers University, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA,*Corresponding author: Monica Driscoll,
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Banse SA, Lucanic M, Sedore CA, Coleman-Hulbert AL, Plummer WT, Chen E, Kish JL, Hall D, Onken B, Presley MP, Jones EG, Blue BW, Garrett T, Abbott M, Xue J, Guo S, Johnson E, Foulger AC, Chamoli M, Falkowski R, Melentijevic I, Harinath G, Huynh P, Patel S, Edgar D, Jarrett CM, Guo M, Kapahi P, Lithgow GJ, Driscoll M, Phillips PC. Automated lifespan determination across Caenorhabditis strains and species reveals assay-specific effects of chemical interventions. GeroScience 2019; 41:945-960. [PMID: 31820364 PMCID: PMC6925072 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-019-00108-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [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: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The goal of the Caenorhabditis Intervention Testing Program is to identify robust and reproducible pro-longevity interventions that are efficacious across genetically diverse cohorts in the Caenorhabditis genus. The project design features multiple experimental replicates collected by three different laboratories. Our initial effort employed fully manual survival assays. With an interest in increasing throughput, we explored automation with flatbed scanner-based Automated Lifespan Machines (ALMs). We used ALMs to measure survivorship of 22 Caenorhabditis strains spanning three species. Additionally, we tested five chemicals that we previously found extended lifespan in manual assays. Overall, we found similar sources of variation among trials for the ALM and our previous manual assays, verifying reproducibility of outcome. Survival assessment was generally consistent between the manual and the ALM assays, although we did observe radically contrasting results for certain compound interventions. We found that particular lifespan outcome differences could be attributed to protocol elements such as enhanced light exposure of specific compounds in the ALM, underscoring that differences in technical details can influence outcomes and therefore interpretation. Overall, we demonstrate that the ALMs effectively reproduce a large, conventionally scored dataset from a diverse test set, independently validating ALMs as a robust and reproducible approach toward aging-intervention screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen A. Banse
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403 USA
| | - Mark Lucanic
- The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94945 USA
| | - Christine A. Sedore
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403 USA
| | | | - W. Todd Plummer
- The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94945 USA
| | - Esteban Chen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Jason L. Kish
- The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94945 USA
| | - David Hall
- The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94945 USA
| | - Brian Onken
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | | | - E. Grace Jones
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403 USA
| | - Benjamin W. Blue
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403 USA
| | - Theo Garrett
- The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94945 USA
| | - Mark Abbott
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Jian Xue
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Suzhen Guo
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Erik Johnson
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403 USA
| | - Anna C. Foulger
- The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94945 USA
| | - Manish Chamoli
- The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94945 USA
| | - Ron Falkowski
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Ilija Melentijevic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Girish Harinath
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Phu Huynh
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Shobhna Patel
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Daniel Edgar
- The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94945 USA
| | - Cody M. Jarrett
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403 USA
| | - Max Guo
- Division of Aging Biology, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MD 20892-9205 USA
| | - Pankaj Kapahi
- The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94945 USA
| | | | - Monica Driscoll
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Nelson Biological Laboratories, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Patrick C. Phillips
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403 USA
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Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans neurons have recently been found to throw out cellular debris for remote degradation and/or storage, adding an “extracellular garbage elimination” option to known intracellular protein and organelle degradation pathways. This Q&A describes initial insights into the biology of seemingly selective protein and organelle elimination by challenged neurons, highlighting mysteries of how garbage is distinguished and sorted in the sending neuron, how the garbage-filled “exophers” appear to elicit degradative responses as they transit neighboring tissue, and how non-digestible materials get thrown out of cells again via processes that may be highly relevant to human neurodegenerative disease mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan Lee Arnold
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, A232 Nelson Biological Laboratories, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, USA
| | - Ilija Melentijevic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, A232 Nelson Biological Laboratories, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, USA
| | - Anna Joelle Smart
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, A232 Nelson Biological Laboratories, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, USA
| | - Monica Driscoll
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, A232 Nelson Biological Laboratories, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, USA.
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