Two classes of gap junction channels mediate soma-germline interactions essential for germline proliferation and gametogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans

Exogenous Molecule and Organelle Delivery in Oogenesis

Recent discoveries on the delivery of small- and large-size molecules and organelles to the oocytes/eggs from external sources, such as surrounding somatic cells, body fluids, and sperm, change our understanding of female germ cells' (oocytes and eggs) self-containment and individuality. In this chapter, we will summarize present-day knowledge on sources and presumptive functions of different types of exogenous molecules and organelles delivered to the animal oocytes and eggs.

Maternal MEMI Promotes Female Meiosis II in Response to Fertilization in Caenorhabditis elegans

In most animals, female meiosis completes only after fertilization. Sperm entry has been implicated in providing a signal for the initiation of the final meiotic processes; however, a maternal component required for this process has not been previously identified. We report the characterization of a novel family of three highly similar paralogs (memi-1, memi-2, memi-3) that encode oocyte-specific proteins. A hyper-morphic mutation memi-1(sb41) results in failure to exit female meiosis II properly; however, loss of all three paralogs results in a "skipped meiosis II" phenotype. Mutations that prevent fertilization, such as fer-1(hc1), also cause a skipped meiosis II phenotype, suggesting that the MEMI proteins represent a maternal component of a postfertilization signal that specifies the meiosis II program. MEMI proteins are degraded before mitosis and sensitive to ZYG-11, a substrate-specific adapter for cullin-based ubiquitin ligase activity, and the memi-1(sb41) mutation results in inappropriate persistence of the MEMI-1 protein into mitosis. Using an RNAi screen for suppressors of memi-1(sb41), we identified a sperm-specific PP1 phosphatase, GSP-3/4, as a putative sperm component of the MEMI pathway. We also found that MEMI and GSP-3/4 proteins can physically interact via co-immunoprecipitation. These results suggest that sperm-specific PP1 and maternal MEMI proteins act in the same pathway after fertilization to facilitate proper meiosis II and the transition into embryonic mitosis.

UBR-5, a Conserved HECT-Type E3 Ubiquitin Ligase, Negatively Regulates Notch-Type Signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans

Notch-type signaling mediates cell-cell interactions important for animal development. In humans, reduced or inappropriate Notch signaling activity is associated with various developmental defects and disease states, including cancers. Caenorhabditis elegans expresses two Notch-type receptors, GLP-1 and LIN-12. GLP-1 mediates several cell-signaling events in the embryo and promotes germline proliferation in the developing and adult gonad. LIN-12 acts redundantly with GLP-1 in certain inductive events in the embryo and mediates several cell-cell interactions during larval development. Recovery of genetic suppressors and enhancers of glp-1 or lin-12 loss- or gain-of-function mutations has identified numerous regulators of GLP-1 and LIN-12 signaling activity. Here, we report the molecular identification of sog-1, a gene identified in screens for recessive suppressors of conditional glp-1 loss-of-function mutations. The sog-1 gene encodes UBR-5, the sole C. elegans member of the UBR5/Hyd family of HECT-type E3 ubiquitin ligases. Molecular and genetic analyses indicate that the loss of ubr-5 function suppresses defects caused by reduced signaling via GLP-1 or LIN-12. In contrast, ubr-5 mutations do not suppress embryonic or larval lethality associated with mutations in a downstream transcription factor, LAG-1. In the gonad, ubr-5 acts in the receiving cells (germ cells) to limit GLP-1 signaling activity. SEL-10 is the F-box component of SCF(SEL-10) E3 ubiquitin-ligase complex that promotes turnover of Notch intracellular domain. UBR-5 acts redundantly with SEL-10 to limit Notch signaling in certain tissues. We hypothesize that UBR-5 activity limits Notch-type signaling by promoting turnover of receptor or limiting its interaction with pathway components.

Cell cycle features of C. elegans germline stem/progenitor cells vary temporally and spatially

Many organisms accumulate a pool of germline stem cells during development that is maintained in later life. The dynamics of establishment, expansion and homeostatic maintenance of this pool are subject to both developmental and physiological influences including the availability of a suitable niche microenvironment, nutritional status, and age. Here, we investigated the dynamics of germline proliferation during stages of expansion and homeostasis, using the C. elegans germ line as a model. The vast majority of germ cells in the proliferative zone are in interphase stages of mitosis (G1, S, G2) rather than in the active mitotic (M) phase. We examined mitotic index and DNA content, comparing different life stages, mutants, and physiological conditions. We found that germ cells in larval stages cycle faster than in adult stages, but that this difference could not be attributed to sexual fate of the germ cells. We also found that larval germ cells exhibit a lower average DNA content compared to adult germ cells. We extended our analysis to consider the effects of distance from the niche and further found that the spatial pattern of DNA content differs between larval and adult stages in the wild type and among mutants in pathways that interfere with cell cycle progression, cell fate, or both. Finally, we characterized expansion of the proliferative pool of germ cells during adulthood, using a regeneration paradigm (ARD recovery) in which animals are starved and re-fed. We compared adult stage regeneration and larval stage expansion, and found that the adult germ line is capable of rapid accumulation but does not sustain a larval-level mitotic index nor does it recapitulate the larval pattern of DNA content. The regenerated germ line does not reach the number of proliferative zone nuclei seen in the continuously fed adult. Taken together, our results suggest that cell cycle dynamics are under multiple influences including distance from the niche, age and/or maturation of the germ line, nutrition and, possibly, latitude for physical expansion.

Cell-cycle quiescence maintains Caenorhabditis elegans germline stem cells independent of GLP-1/Notch

Many types of adult stem cells exist in a state of cell-cycle quiescence, yet it has remained unclear whether quiescence plays a role in maintaining the stem cell fate. Here we establish the adult germline of Caenorhabditis elegans as a model for facultative stem cell quiescence. We find that mitotically dividing germ cells--including germline stem cells--become quiescent in the absence of food. This quiescence is characterized by a slowing of S phase, a block to M-phase entry, and the ability to re-enter M phase rapidly in response to re-feeding. Further, we demonstrate that cell-cycle quiescence alters the genetic requirements for stem cell maintenance: The signaling pathway required for stem cell maintenance under fed conditions--GLP-1/Notch signaling--becomes dispensable under conditions of quiescence. Thus, cell-cycle quiescence can itself maintain stem cells, independent of the signaling pathway otherwise essential for such maintenance.

Mechano-logical model of C. elegans germ line suggests feedback on the cell cycle

The Caenorhabditis elegans germ line is an outstanding model system in which to study the control of cell division and differentiation. Although many of the molecules that regulate germ cell proliferation and fate decisions have been identified, how these signals interact with cellular dynamics and physical forces within the gonad remains poorly understood. We therefore developed a dynamic, 3D in silico model of the C. elegans germ line, incorporating both the mechanical interactions between cells and the decision-making processes within cells. Our model successfully reproduces key features of the germ line during development and adulthood, including a reasonable ovulation rate, correct sperm count, and appropriate organization of the germ line into stably maintained zones. The model highlights a previously overlooked way in which germ cell pressure may influence gonadogenesis, and also predicts that adult germ cells might be subject to mechanical feedback on the cell cycle akin to contact inhibition. We provide experimental data consistent with the latter hypothesis. Finally, we present cell trajectories and ancestry recorded over the course of a simulation. The novel approaches and software described here link mechanics and cellular decision-making, and are applicable to modeling other developmental and stem cell systems.

Bi-directional gap junction-mediated soma-germline communication is essential for spermatogenesis

Soma-germline interactions play conserved essential roles in regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, patterning and homeostasis in the gonad. In the Drosophila testis, secreted signalling molecules of the JAK-STAT, Hedgehog, BMP and EGF pathways are used to mediate soma-germline communication. Here, we demonstrate that gap junctions may also mediate direct, bi-directional signalling between the soma and germ line. When gap junctions between the soma and germ line are disrupted, germline differentiation is blocked and germline stem cells are not maintained. In the soma, gap junctions are required to regulate proliferation and differentiation. Localization and RNAi-mediated knockdown studies reveal that gap junctions in the fly testis are heterotypic channels containing Zpg (Inx4) and Inx2 on the germ line and the soma side, respectively. Overall, our results show that bi-directional gap junction-mediated signalling is essential to coordinate the soma and germ line to ensure proper spermatogenesis in Drosophila. Moreover, we show that stem cell maintenance and differentiation in the testis are directed by gap junction-derived cues.

Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Increases Gap Junctional Communication Between Somatic and Germ-Line Follicular Compartments During Murine Oogenesis

Germ cells develop in intimate contact and communication with somatic cells of the gonad. In female mammals, oocyte development depends crucially on gap junctions that couple it to the surrounding somatic granulosa cells of the follicle, yet the mechanisms that regulate this essential intercellular communication remain incompletely understood. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) drives the terminal stage of follicular development. We found that FSH increases the steady-state levels of mRNAs encoding the principal connexins that constitute gap junctions and cadherins that mediate cell attachment. This increase occurs both in granulosa cells, which express the FSH-receptor, and in oocytes, which do not. FSH also increased the number of transzonal projections that provide the sites of granulosa cell-oocyte contact. Consistent with increased connexin expression, FSH increased gap junctional communication between granulosa cells and between the oocyte and granulosa cells, and it accelerated oocyte development. These results demonstrate that FSH regulates communication between the female germ cell and its somatic microenvironment. We propose that FSH-regulated gap junctional communication ensures that differentiation processes occurring in distinct cellular compartments within the follicle are precisely coordinated to ensure production of a fertilizable egg.

A Sertoli cell-specific connexin43 knockout leads to altered interstitial connexin expression and increased Leydig cell numbers

The Sertoli cell (SC)-specific knockout (KO) of connexin43 (Cx43) results in spermatogenic arrest at the level of spermatogonia and/or SC-only syndrome. Histology of the interstitial compartment suggests Leydig cell (LC) hyperplasia. Our aim has been to investigate possible effects of the SC-specific KO of Cx43 (SCCx43KO) on interstitial LC. We therefore counted LC via the optical dissector method (per microliter of testicular tissue and per testis) and found LC to be significantly increased in SCCx43KO(-/-) compared with wild-type mice. Semiquantitative western blot together with Cx43 and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase immunohistochemistry showed that Cx43 protein was significantly reduced and barely detectable in LC in adult SCCx43KO(-/-) mice. This reduction of Cx43 protein was accompanied by a reduction of Cx43 mRNA as analyzed by laser-assisted microdissection of interstitial cells and subsequent quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Interestingly, Cx45, another recently detected connexin in LC, was also downregulated. Preliminary qualitative data of LC differentiation markers (Thb2, Hsd3b6) and a steroidogenic marker (Hsd17b3) obtained by reverse transcription plus PCR revealed no obvious differences. Thus, the loss of Cx43 in SC also provokes the downregulation of connexins in interstitial LC at the transcriptional and translational levels. Moreover, SCCx43KO leads to alterations in LC numbers. Despite these alterations, steroidogenesis seems not to be impaired. Further studies, including ultrastructural analysis of the tissue as well as quantitative examination of additional LC markers and testosterone, and functional in vitro experiments, should provide more information about LC differentiation and function in SCCx43KO(-/-) mice.

Translational control of the oogenic program by components of OMA ribonucleoprotein particles in Caenorhabditis elegans

The oocytes of most sexually reproducing animals arrest in meiotic prophase I. Oocyte growth, which occurs during this period of arrest, enables oocytes to acquire the cytoplasmic components needed to produce healthy progeny and to gain competence to complete meiosis. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the major sperm protein hormone promotes meiotic resumption (also called meiotic maturation) and the cytoplasmic flows that drive oocyte growth. Prior work established that two related TIS11 zinc-finger RNA-binding proteins, OMA-1 and OMA-2, are redundantly required for normal oocyte growth and meiotic maturation. We affinity purified OMA-1 and identified associated mRNAs and proteins using genome-wide expression data and mass spectrometry, respectively. As a class, mRNAs enriched in OMA-1 ribonucleoprotein particles (OMA RNPs) have reproductive functions. Several of these mRNAs were tested and found to be targets of OMA-1/2-mediated translational repression, dependent on sequences in their 3'-untranslated regions (3'-UTRs). Consistent with a major role for OMA-1 and OMA-2 in regulating translation, OMA-1-associated proteins include translational repressors and activators, and some of these proteins bind directly to OMA-1 in yeast two-hybrid assays, including OMA-2. We show that the highly conserved TRIM-NHL protein LIN-41 is an OMA-1-associated protein, which also represses the translation of several OMA-1/2 target mRNAs. In the accompanying article in this issue, we show that LIN-41 prevents meiotic maturation and promotes oocyte growth in opposition to OMA-1/2. Taken together, these data support a model in which the conserved regulators of mRNA translation LIN-41 and OMA-1/2 coordinately control oocyte growth and the proper spatial and temporal execution of the meiotic maturation decision.