1
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Brinzer RA, Winter AD, Page AP. The relationship between intraflagellar transport and upstream protein trafficking pathways and macrocyclic lactone resistance in Caenorhabditis elegans. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2024; 14:jkae009. [PMID: 38227795 PMCID: PMC10917524 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkae009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Parasitic nematodes are globally important and place a heavy disease burden on infected humans, crops, and livestock, while commonly administered anthelmintics used for treatment are being rendered ineffective by increasing levels of resistance. It has recently been shown in the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans that the sensory cilia of the amphid neurons play an important role in resistance toward macrocyclic lactones such as ivermectin (an avermectin) and moxidectin (a milbemycin) either through reduced uptake or intertissue signaling pathways. This study interrogated the extent to which ciliary defects relate to macrocyclic lactone resistance and dye-filling defects using a combination of forward genetics and targeted resistance screening approaches and confirmed the importance of intraflagellar transport in this process. This approach also identified the protein trafficking pathways used by the downstream effectors and the components of the ciliary basal body that are required for effector entry into these nonmotile structures. In total, 24 novel C. elegans anthelmintic survival-associated genes were identified in this study. When combined with previously known resistance genes, there are now 46 resistance-associated genes that are directly involved in amphid, cilia, and intraflagellar transport function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Brinzer
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland G61 1QH, UK
| | - Alan D Winter
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland G61 1QH, UK
| | - Antony P Page
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland G61 1QH, UK
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2
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Sun Y, Jin Y. An intraflagellar transport dependent negative feedback regulates the MAPKKK DLK-1 to protect cilia from degeneration. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2302801120. [PMID: 37722038 PMCID: PMC10523469 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2302801120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary cilia are specialized organelles supporting the development and function of cells and organisms. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is essential for cilia formation, maintenance, and function. In C. elegans ciliated sensory neurons, IFT interacts with signaling molecules to generate distinct morphological and function features and also to maintain the integrity of cilia. Here, we report an IFT-dependent feedback control on the conserved MAPKKK DLK-1 in the ciliated sensory neurons. DLK proteins are widely known to act in synapse formation, axon regeneration, and degeneration, but their roles in other neuronal compartments are understudied. By forward genetic screening for altered expression of the endogenously tagged DLK-1 we identified multiple ift mutants showing increased DLK-1 accumulation in the defective sensory endings. We show that in response to acute IFT disruption, DLK-1 accumulates rapidly and reversibly. The expression levels of the transcription factor CEBP-1, known to act downstream of DLK-1 in the development and maintenance of synapses and axons, are also increased in the ciliated sensory neurons of ift mutants. Interestingly, the regulation of CEBP-1 expression shows sensory neuron-type dependency on DLK-1. Moreover, in the sensory neuron AWC, which has elaborate cilia morphology, up-regulated CEBP-1 represses DLK-1 at the transcription level, thereby dampening DLK-1 accumulation. Last, the IFT-dependent regulatory loop of DLK-1 and CEBP-1 offers neuroprotection in a cilia degeneration model. These findings uncover a surveillance mechanism in which tight control on the DLK-1 signaling protects cilia integrity in a context-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Sun
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA92093
| | - Yishi Jin
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA92093
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3
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Sharma Y, Jacobs JS, Sivan-Loukianova E, Lee E, Kernan MJ, Eberl DF. The retrograde IFT dynein is required for normal function of diverse mechanosensory cilia in Drosophila. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1263411. [PMID: 37808471 PMCID: PMC10556659 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1263411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Cilia biogenesis relies on intraflagellar transport (IFT), a conserved transport mechanism which functions bi-directionally to bring protein complexes to the growing ciliary tip and recycle signaling and transport proteins between the cilium and cell body. In Drosophila, anterograde IFT is critical for assembly of sensory cilia in the neurons of both chordotonal (ch) organs, which have relatively long ciliary axonemes, and external sensory (es) organs, which have short axonemal segments with microtubules in distal sensory segments forming non-axonemal bundles. We previously isolated the beethoven (btv) mutant in a mutagenesis screen for auditory mutants. Although many btv mutant flies are deaf, some retain a small residual auditory function as determined both by behavior and by auditory electrophysiology. Results Here we molecularly characterize the btv gene and demonstrate that it encodes the IFT-associated dynein-2 heavy chain Dync2h1. We also describe morphological changes in Johnston's organ as flies age to 30 days, and we find that morphological and electrophysiological phenotypes in this ch organ of btv mutants become more severe with age. We show that NompB protein, encoding the conserved IFT88 protein, an IFT complex B component, fails to be cleared from chordotonal cilia in btv mutants, instead accumulating in the distorted cilia. In macrochaete bristles, a class of es organ, btv mutants show a 50% reduction in mechanoreceptor potentials. Discussion Thus, the btv-encoded Dync2h1 functions as the retrograde IFT motor in the assembly of long ciliary axonemes in ch organs and is also important for normal function of the short ciliary axonemes in es organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yashoda Sharma
- Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Julie S. Jacobs
- Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | | | - Eugene Lee
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Maurice J. Kernan
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Daniel F. Eberl
- Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
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4
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The inner junction protein CFAP20 functions in motile and non-motile cilia and is critical for vision. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6595. [PMID: 36329026 PMCID: PMC9633640 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33820-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Motile and non-motile cilia are associated with mutually-exclusive genetic disorders. Motile cilia propel sperm or extracellular fluids, and their dysfunction causes primary ciliary dyskinesia. Non-motile cilia serve as sensory/signalling antennae on most cell types, and their disruption causes single-organ ciliopathies such as retinopathies or multi-system syndromes. CFAP20 is a ciliopathy candidate known to modulate motile cilia in unicellular eukaryotes. We demonstrate that in zebrafish, cfap20 is required for motile cilia function, and in C. elegans, CFAP-20 maintains the structural integrity of non-motile cilia inner junctions, influencing sensory-dependent signalling and development. Human patients and zebrafish with CFAP20 mutations both exhibit retinal dystrophy. Hence, CFAP20 functions within a structural/functional hub centered on the inner junction that is shared between motile and non-motile cilia, and is distinct from other ciliopathy-associated domains or macromolecular complexes. Our findings suggest an uncharacterised pathomechanism for retinal dystrophy, and potentially for motile and non-motile ciliopathies in general.
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5
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Li N, Hua B, Chen Q, Teng F, Ruan M, Zhu M, Zhang L, Huo Y, Liu H, Zhuang M, Shen H, Zhu H. A sphingolipid-mTORC1 nutrient-sensing pathway regulates animal development by an intestinal peroxisome relocation-based gut-brain crosstalk. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111140. [PMID: 35905721 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The mTOR-dependent nutrient-sensing and response machinery is the central hub for animals to regulate their cellular and developmental programs. However, equivalently pivotal nutrient and metabolite signals upstream of mTOR and developmental-regulatory signals downstream of mTOR are not clear, especially at the organism level. We previously showed glucosylceramide (GlcCer) acts as a critical nutrient and metabolite signal for overall amino acid levels to promote development by activating the intestinal mTORC1 signaling pathway. Here, through a large-scale genetic screen, we find that the intestinal peroxisome is critical for antagonizing the GlcCer-mTORC1-mediated nutrient signal. Mechanistically, GlcCer deficiency, inactive mTORC1, or prolonged starvation relocates intestinal peroxisomes closer to the apical region in a kinesin- and microtubule-dependent manner. Those apical accumulated peroxisomes further release peroxisomal-β-oxidation-derived glycolipid hormones that target chemosensory neurons and downstream nuclear hormone receptor DAF-12 to arrest the animal development. Our data illustrate a sophisticated gut-brain axis that predominantly orchestrates nutrient-sensing-dependent development in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Li
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100000, China
| | - Beilei Hua
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Qing Chen
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Fukang Teng
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Meiyu Ruan
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Mengnan Zhu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100000, China
| | - Li Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Yinbo Huo
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100000, China
| | - Hongqin Liu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Min Zhuang
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Huali Shen
- Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Huanhu Zhu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China.
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6
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Handley A, Wu Q, Sherry T, Cornell R, Pocock R. Diet-responsive transcriptional regulation of insulin in a single neuron controls systemic metabolism. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001655. [PMID: 35594303 PMCID: PMC9162364 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic homeostasis is coordinated through a robust network of signaling pathways acting across all tissues. A key part of this network is insulin-like signaling, which is fundamental for surviving glucose stress. Here, we show that Caenorhabditis elegans fed excess dietary glucose reduce insulin-1 (INS-1) expression specifically in the BAG glutamatergic sensory neurons. We demonstrate that INS-1 expression in the BAG neurons is directly controlled by the transcription factor ETS-5, which is also down-regulated by glucose. We further find that INS-1 acts exclusively from the BAG neurons, and not other INS-1-expressing neurons, to systemically inhibit fat storage via the insulin-like receptor DAF-2. Together, these findings reveal an intertissue regulatory pathway where regulation of insulin expression in a specific neuron controls systemic metabolism in response to excess dietary glucose. Metabolic homeostasis is coordinated through a robust network of signaling pathways acting across all tissues. This study shows that Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes fed excess dietary glucose reduce the expression of insulin-1 specifically in the BAG glutamatergic sensory neurons, and that insulin-1 produced by these neurons systemically inhibits fat storage via the insulin-like receptor DAF-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ava Handley
- Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- * E-mail: (AH); (RP)
| | - Qiuli Wu
- Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Diseases in Ministry of Education, Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Tessa Sherry
- Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Rebecca Cornell
- Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Roger Pocock
- Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- * E-mail: (AH); (RP)
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7
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De-Castro ARG, Rodrigues DRM, De-Castro MJG, Vieira N, Vieira C, Carvalho AX, Gassmann R, Abreu CMC, Dantas TJ. WDR60-mediated dynein-2 loading into cilia powers retrograde IFT and transition zone crossing. J Cell Biol 2022; 221:212746. [PMID: 34739033 PMCID: PMC8576871 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202010178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The dynein-2 motor complex drives retrograde intraflagellar transport (IFT), playing a pivotal role in the assembly and functions of cilia. However, the mechanisms that regulate dynein-2 motility remain poorly understood. Here, we identify the Caenorhabditis elegans WDR60 homologue, WDR-60, and dissect the roles of this intermediate chain using genome editing and live imaging of endogenous dynein-2/IFT components. We find that loss of WDR-60 impairs dynein-2 recruitment to cilia and its incorporation onto anterograde IFT trains, reducing retrograde motor availability at the ciliary tip. Consistent with this, we show that fewer dynein-2 motors power WDR-60–deficient retrograde IFT trains, which move at reduced velocities and fail to exit cilia, accumulating on the distal side of the transition zone. Remarkably, disrupting the transition zone’s NPHP module almost fully restores ciliary exit of underpowered retrograde trains in wdr-60 mutants. This work establishes WDR-60 as a major contributor to IFT, and the NPHP module as a roadblock to dynein-2 passage through the transition zone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana R G De-Castro
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Diogo R M Rodrigues
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J G De-Castro
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Neide Vieira
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Cármen Vieira
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana X Carvalho
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Reto Gassmann
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Carla M C Abreu
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Tiago J Dantas
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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8
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Traets JJ, van der Burght SN, Rademakers S, Jansen G, van Zon JS. Mechanism of life-long maintenance of neuron identity despite molecular fluctuations. eLife 2021; 10:66955. [PMID: 34908528 PMCID: PMC8735970 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell fate is maintained over long timescales, yet molecular fluctuations can lead to spontaneous loss of this differentiated state. Our simulations identified a possible mechanism that explains life-long maintenance of ASE neuron fate in Caenorhabditis elegans by the terminal selector transcription factor CHE-1. Here, fluctuations in CHE-1 level are buffered by the reservoir of CHE-1 bound at its target promoters, which ensures continued che-1 expression by preferentially binding the che-1 promoter. We provide experimental evidence for this mechanism by showing that che-1 expression was resilient to induced transient CHE-1 depletion, while both expression of CHE-1 targets and ASE function were lost. We identified a 130 bp che-1 promoter fragment responsible for this resilience, with deletion of a homeodomain binding site in this fragment causing stochastic loss of ASE identity long after its determination. Because network architectures that support this mechanism are highly conserved in cell differentiation, it may explain stable cell fate maintenance in many systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Gert Jansen
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Jeroen S van Zon
- Quantitative Developmental Biology, AMOLF, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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9
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Plasticity in gustatory and nociceptive neurons controls decision making in C. elegans salt navigation. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1053. [PMID: 34504291 PMCID: PMC8429449 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02561-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A conventional understanding of perception assigns sensory organs the role of capturing the environment. Better sensors result in more accurate encoding of stimuli, allowing for cognitive processing downstream. Here we show that plasticity in sensory neurons mediates a behavioral switch in C. elegans between attraction to NaCl in naïve animals and avoidance of NaCl in preconditioned animals, called gustatory plasticity. Ca2+ imaging in ASE and ASH NaCl sensing neurons reveals multiple cell-autonomous and distributed circuit adaptation mechanisms. A computational model quantitatively accounts for observed behaviors and reveals roles for sensory neurons in the control and modulation of motor behaviors, decision making and navigational strategy. Sensory adaptation dynamically alters the encoding of the environment. Rather than encoding the stimulus directly, therefore, we propose that these C. elegans sensors dynamically encode a context-dependent value of the stimulus. Our results demonstrate how adaptive sensory computation can directly control an animal’s behavioral state. Martijn Dekkers and Felix Salfelder et al. combine experimental approaches and mathematical modeling to determine the contribution of the two main NaCl sensory neurons (termed ASEL and ASER) and the nociceptive neurons (termed ASH) in C. elegans to the context-dependent switching between NaCl attraction and avoidance. Their results show that regulated sensitivity of these sensory neurons to NaCl allows the animal to dynamically modulate its behavioral response and suggest a role for sensory modulation in balancing exploration and exploitation during foraging.
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10
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Queirós L, Marques C, Pereira JL, Gonçalves FJM, Aschner M, Pereira P. Overview of Chemotaxis Behavior Assays in Caenorhabditis elegans. Curr Protoc 2021; 1:e120. [PMID: 33974354 PMCID: PMC8162703 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Environmental pollution related to anthropogenic pressures, and the associated repercussions on public health, represent a worldwide problem. Thus, the study of the effects that environmental contaminants can pose to natural ecosystems and human health is of vital importance. Laboratory model organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans have played a significant role in clarifying multilevel effects of those agents. Although the evaluation of contaminant effects at the behavioral level of organisms is an emerging approach in ecotoxicology, studies assessing chemotaxis behavior in C. elegans within the ecotoxicological research context are still scarce. Chemotaxis studies in C. elegans have contributed to the understanding of both the neuronal mechanisms involved in the behavioral effects triggered by environmental cues and the impact of contaminants on natural ecosystems. Its compact and well-characterized nervous system, as well as the availability of transgenic strains and molecular tools, allows a detailed examination of behavioral, molecular, and genetic chemosensation mechanisms. This overview provides a summary and general comparison of methods used to measure chemotaxis behavior in C. elegans, with the aim of helping researchers select the most suitable approach in their chemotaxis studies. We compare methods based on the type of chemical tested, advantages and drawbacks of the different approaches, and specific experimental goals. Lastly, we hope to encourage the evaluation of C. elegans chemotaxis behavior in ecotoxicology studies, as well as its potential integration in standardized protocols assessing environmental quality. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Libânia Queirós
- Department of Biology & CESAM (Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Carlos Marques
- Department of Biology & CESAM (Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Joana L. Pereira
- Department of Biology & CESAM (Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Fernando J. M. Gonçalves
- Department of Biology & CESAM (Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Michael Aschner
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Patrícia Pereira
- Department of Biology & CESAM (Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
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11
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Akella JS, Barr MM. The tubulin code specializes neuronal cilia for extracellular vesicle release. Dev Neurobiol 2021; 81:231-252. [PMID: 33068333 PMCID: PMC8052387 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Cilia are microtubule-based organelles that display diversity in morphology, ultrastructure, protein composition, and function. The ciliary microtubules of C. elegans sensory neurons exemplify this diversity and provide a paradigm to understand mechanisms driving ciliary specialization. Only a subset of ciliated neurons in C. elegans are specialized to make and release bioactive extracellular vesicles (EVs) into the environment. The cilia of extracellular vesicle releasing neurons have distinct axonemal features and specialized intraflagellar transport that are important for releasing EVs. In this review, we discuss the role of the tubulin code in the specialization of microtubules in cilia of EV releasing neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyothi S Akella
- Department of Genetics and Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Maureen M Barr
- Department of Genetics and Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
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12
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Ferkey DM, Sengupta P, L’Etoile ND. Chemosensory signal transduction in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2021; 217:iyab004. [PMID: 33693646 PMCID: PMC8045692 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemosensory neurons translate perception of external chemical cues, including odorants, tastants, and pheromones, into information that drives attraction or avoidance motor programs. In the laboratory, robust behavioral assays, coupled with powerful genetic, molecular and optical tools, have made Caenorhabditis elegans an ideal experimental system in which to dissect the contributions of individual genes and neurons to ethologically relevant chemosensory behaviors. Here, we review current knowledge of the neurons, signal transduction molecules and regulatory mechanisms that underlie the response of C. elegans to chemicals, including pheromones. The majority of identified molecules and pathways share remarkable homology with sensory mechanisms in other organisms. With the development of new tools and technologies, we anticipate that continued study of chemosensory signal transduction and processing in C. elegans will yield additional new insights into the mechanisms by which this animal is able to detect and discriminate among thousands of chemical cues with a limited sensory neuron repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise M Ferkey
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
| | - Piali Sengupta
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
| | - Noelle D L’Etoile
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
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13
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Fenyves BG, Arnold A, Gharat VG, Haab C, Tishinov K, Peter F, de Quervain D, Papassotiropoulos A, Stetak A. Dual Role of an mps-2/KCNE-Dependent Pathway in Long-Term Memory and Age-Dependent Memory Decline. Curr Biol 2020; 31:527-539.e7. [PMID: 33259792 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.10.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Activity-dependent persistent changes in neuronal intrinsic excitability and synaptic strength are underlying learning and memory. Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels are potential regulators of memory and may be linked to age-dependent neuronal disfunction. MinK-related peptides (MiRPs) are conserved transmembrane proteins modulating Kv channels; however, their possible role in the regulation of memory and age-dependent memory decline are unknown. Here, we show that, in C. elegans, mps-2 is the sole member of the MiRP family that controls exclusively long-term associative memory (LTAM) in AVA neuron. In addition, we demonstrate that mps-2 also plays a critical role in age-dependent memory decline. In young adult worms, mps-2 is transcriptionally upregulated by CRH-1/cyclic AMP (cAMP)-response-binding protein (CREB) during LTAM, although the mps-2 baseline expression is CREB independent and instead, during aging, relies on nhr-66, which acts as an age-dependent repressor. Deletion of nhr-66 or its binding element in the mps-2 promoter prevents age-dependent transcriptional repression of mps-2 and memory decline. Finally, MPS-2 acts through the modulation of the Kv2.1/KVS-3 and Kv2.2/KVS-4 heteromeric potassium channels. Altogether, we describe a conserved MPS-2/KVS-3/KVS-4 pathway essential for LTAM and also for a programmed control of physiological age-dependent memory decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bank G Fenyves
- Transfaculty Research Platform Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Basel, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; Division of Molecular Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; Department of Molecular Biology, Semmelweis University, Tűzoltó u. 37-47, 1094 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Andreas Arnold
- Transfaculty Research Platform Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Basel, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; Division of Molecular Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Vaibhav G Gharat
- Transfaculty Research Platform Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Basel, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; Division of Molecular Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Carmen Haab
- Division of Molecular Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kiril Tishinov
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50/70, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Fabian Peter
- Transfaculty Research Platform Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Basel, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; Division of Molecular Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dominique de Quervain
- Transfaculty Research Platform Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Basel, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; University Psychiatric Clinics, University of Basel, Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Papassotiropoulos
- Transfaculty Research Platform Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Basel, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; Division of Molecular Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; Biozentrum, Life Sciences Training Facility, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50/70, 4056 Basel, Switzerland; University Psychiatric Clinics, University of Basel, Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Attila Stetak
- Transfaculty Research Platform Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Basel, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; Division of Molecular Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Birmannsgasse 8, 4055 Basel, Switzerland; University Psychiatric Clinics, University of Basel, Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4055 Basel, Switzerland.
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14
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van der Burght SN, Rademakers S, Johnson JL, Li C, Kremers GJ, Houtsmuller AB, Leroux MR, Jansen G. Ciliary Tip Signaling Compartment Is Formed and Maintained by Intraflagellar Transport. Curr Biol 2020; 30:4299-4306.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.08.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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15
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Chen D, Xu W, Wang Y, Ye Y, Wang Y, Yu M, Gao J, Wei J, Dong Y, Zhang H, Fu X, Ma K, Wang H, Yang Z, Zhou J, Cheng W, Wang S, Chen J, Grant BD, Myers CL, Shi A, Xia T. Revealing Functional Crosstalk between Distinct Bioprocesses through Reciprocal Functional Tests of Genetically Interacting Genes. Cell Rep 2020; 29:2646-2658.e5. [PMID: 31775035 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.10.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
To systematically explore the genes mediating functional crosstalk between metazoan biological processes, we apply comparative genetic interaction (GI) mapping in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Caenorhabditis elegans to generate an inter-bioprocess network consisting of 178 C. elegans GIs. The GI network spans six annotated biological processes including aging, intracellular transport, microtubule-based processes, cytokinesis, lipid metabolic processes, and anatomical structure development. By proposing a strategy called "reciprocal functional test" for interacting gene pairs, we discover a group of genes that mediate crosstalk between distinct biological processes. In particular, we identify the ribosomal S6 Kinase/RSKS-1, previously characterized as an mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) effector, as a regulator of DAF-2 endosomal recycling transport, which traces a functional correlation between endocytic recycling and aging processes. Together, our results provide an alternative and effective strategy for identifying genes and pathways that mediate crosstalk between bioprocesses with little prior knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Wei Xu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Department of Informatics Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Communications, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Yongshen Ye
- Department of Informatics Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Communications, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Yue Wang
- Department of Informatics Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Communications, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Miao Yu
- Department of Informatics Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Communications, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Jinghu Gao
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Jielin Wei
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Yiming Dong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Honghua Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Xin Fu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Ke Ma
- Department of Informatics Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Communications, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Zhenrong Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Jie Zhou
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Wenqing Cheng
- Department of Informatics Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Communications, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Shu Wang
- Department of Informatics Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Communications, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Juan Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Barth D Grant
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Chad L Myers
- Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 200 Union St., Minneapolis MN 55455, USA
| | - Anbing Shi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Institute for Brain Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Key Laboratory of Neurological Disease of National Education Ministry, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
| | - Tian Xia
- Department of Informatics Engineering, School of Electronic Information and Communications, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
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16
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Dao J, Lee A, Drecksel DK, Bittlingmaier NM, Nelson TM. Characterization of TMC-1 in C. elegans sodium chemotaxis and sodium conditioned aversion. BMC Genet 2020; 21:37. [PMID: 32228447 PMCID: PMC7106803 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-020-00844-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background While sodium is attractive at low and aversive at high concentrations in most studied species, including Caenorhabditis elegans, the molecular mechanisms behind transduction remain poorly understood. Additionally, past studies with C. elegans provide evidence that the nematode’s innate behavior can be altered by previous experiences. Here we investigated the molecular aspects of both innate and conditioned responses to salts. Transmembrane channel-like 1 (tmc-1) has been suggested to encode a sodium-sensitive channel required for sodium chemosensation in C. elegans, but its specific role remains unclear. Results We report that TMC-1 is necessary for sodium attraction, but not aversion in the nematode. We show that TMC-1 contributes to the nematode’s lithium induced attraction behavior, but not potassium or magnesium attraction thus clarifying the specificity of the response. In addition, we show that sodium conditioned aversion is dependent on TMC-1 and disrupts not only sodium induced attraction, but also lithium. Conclusions These findings represent the first time a role for TMC-1 has been described in sodium and lithium attraction in vivo, as well as in sodium conditioned aversion. Together this clarifies TMC-1’s importance in sodium hedonics and offer molecular insight into salt chemotaxis learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Dao
- Department of Human Science, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, 20057, USA
| | - Aileen Lee
- Department of International Health, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, 20057, USA
| | - Dana K Drecksel
- Department of International Health, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, 20057, USA
| | - Nicole M Bittlingmaier
- Department of Human Science, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, 20057, USA
| | - Theodore M Nelson
- Department of Human Science, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, 20057, USA.
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17
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Vuolo L, Stevenson NL, Mukhopadhyay AG, Roberts AJ, Stephens DJ. Cytoplasmic dynein-2 at a glance. J Cell Sci 2020; 133:133/6/jcs240614. [DOI: 10.1242/jcs.240614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Cytoplasmic dynein-2 is a motor protein complex that drives the movement of cargoes along microtubules within cilia, facilitating the assembly of these organelles on the surface of nearly all mammalian cells. Dynein-2 is crucial for ciliary function, as evidenced by deleterious mutations in patients with skeletal abnormalities. Long-standing questions include how the dynein-2 complex is assembled, regulated, and switched between active and inactive states. A combination of model organisms, in vitro cell biology, live-cell imaging, structural biology and biochemistry has advanced our understanding of the dynein-2 motor. In this Cell Science at a Glance article and the accompanying poster, we discuss the current understanding of dynein-2 and its roles in ciliary assembly and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Vuolo
- Cell Biology Laboratories, School of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Nicola L. Stevenson
- Cell Biology Laboratories, School of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Aakash G. Mukhopadhyay
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - Anthony J. Roberts
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - David J. Stephens
- Cell Biology Laboratories, School of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
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18
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Tanaka H, Kanatome A, Takagi S. Involvement of the synaptotagmin/stonin2 system in vesicular transport regulated by semaphorins in Caenorhabditis elegans epidermal cells. Genes Cells 2020; 25:391-401. [PMID: 32167217 DOI: 10.1111/gtc.12765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Vesicular transport serves as an important mechanism for cell shape regulation during development. Although the semaphorin signaling molecule, a well-known regulator of axon guidance, induces endocytosis in the growth cone and the axonal transport of vertebrate neurons, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unclear. Here, we show that the Caenorhabditis elegans SNT-1/synaptotagmin-UNC-41/stonin2 system, whose role in synaptic vesicle recycling in neurons has been studied extensively, is involved in semaphorin-regulated vesicular transport in larval epidermal cells. Mutations in the snt-1/unc-41 genes strongly suppressed the cell shape defects of semaphorin mutants. The null mutation in the semaphorin receptor gene, plx-1, altered the expression and localization pattern of endocytic and exocytic markers in the epidermal cells while repressing the transport of SNT-1-containing vesicles toward late endosome/lysosome pathways. Our findings suggest that the nematode semaphorins regulate the vesicular transport in epidermal cells in a manner distinct from that of vertebrate semaphorins in neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Tanaka
- Division of Biological Science, Nagoya University Graduate School of Science, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Ayana Kanatome
- Division of Biological Science, Nagoya University Graduate School of Science, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Shin Takagi
- Division of Biological Science, Nagoya University Graduate School of Science, Nagoya, Japan
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19
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Da Silva JD, Oliveira S, Pereira-Sousa J, Teixeira-Castro A, Costa MD, Maciel P. Loss of egli-1, the Caenorhabditis elegans Orthologue of a Downstream Target of SMN, Leads to Abnormalities in Sensorimotor Integration. Mol Neurobiol 2019; 57:1553-1569. [PMID: 31797327 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-019-01833-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The connectome of Caenorhabditis elegans has been extensively studied and fully mapped, allowing researchers to more confidently conclude on the impact of any change in neuronal circuits based on behavioral data. One of the more complex sensorimotor circuits in nematodes is the one that regulates the integration of feeding status with the subsequent behavioral responses that allow animals to adapt to environmental conditions. Here, we have characterized a Caenorhabditis elegans knockout model of the egli-1 gene (previously known as tag-175). This is an orthologue of the stasimon/tmem41b gene, a downstream target of SMN, the depleted protein in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which partially recapitulates the SMA phenotype in fly and zebrafish models when mutated. Surprisingly, egli-1 mutants reveal no deficits in motor function. Instead, they show functional impairment of a specific neuronal circuit, leading to defects in the integration of sensorial information related to food abundance, with consequences at the level of locomotion adaptation, egg laying, and the response to aversive chemical stimuli. This work has demonstrated for the first time the relevance of egli-1 in the nervous system, as well as revealed a function for this gene, which had remained elusive so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Diogo Da Silva
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Stéphanie Oliveira
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Joana Pereira-Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Andreia Teixeira-Castro
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Marta Daniela Costa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Maciel
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. .,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
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20
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Midkiff D, San-Miguel A. Microfluidic Technologies for High Throughput Screening Through Sorting and On-Chip Culture of C. elegans. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24234292. [PMID: 31775328 PMCID: PMC6930626 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24234292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2019] [Revised: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a powerful model organism that has been widely used to study molecular biology, cell development, neurobiology, and aging. Despite their use for the past several decades, the conventional techniques for growth, imaging, and behavioral analysis of C. elegans can be cumbersome, and acquiring large data sets in a high-throughput manner can be challenging. Developments in microfluidic “lab-on-a-chip” technologies have improved studies of C. elegans by increasing experimental control and throughput. Microfluidic features such as on-chip control layers, immobilization channels, and chamber arrays have been incorporated to develop increasingly complex platforms that make experimental techniques more powerful. Genetic and chemical screens are performed on C. elegans to determine gene function and phenotypic outcomes of perturbations, to test the effect that chemicals have on health and behavior, and to find drug candidates. In this review, we will discuss microfluidic technologies that have been used to increase the throughput of genetic and chemical screens in C. elegans. We will discuss screens for neurobiology, aging, development, behavior, and many other biological processes. We will also discuss robotic technologies that assist in microfluidic screens, as well as alternate platforms that perform functions similar to microfluidics.
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21
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PIM-Related Kinases Selectively Regulate Olfactory Sensations in Caenorhabditis elegans. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0003-19.2019. [PMID: 31387876 PMCID: PMC6709224 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0003-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The mammalian PIM family of serine/threonine kinases regulate several cellular functions, such as cell survival and motility. Because PIM expression is observed in sensory organs, such as olfactory epithelium, we now wanted to explore the physiological roles of PIM kinases there. As our model organism, we used the Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes, which express two PIM-related kinases, PRK-1 and PRK-2. We demonstrated PRKs to be true PIM orthologs with similar substrate specificity as well as sensitivity to PIM-inhibitory compounds. When we analyzed the effects of pan-PIM inhibitors on C. elegans sensory functions, we observed that PRK activity is selectively required to support olfactory sensations to volatile repellents and attractants sensed by AWB and AWCON neurons, respectively, but is dispensable for gustatory sensations. Analyses of prk-deficient mutant strains confirmed these findings and suggested that PRK-1, but not PRK-2 is responsible for the observed effects on olfaction. This regulatory role of PRK-1 is further supported by its observed expression in the head and tail neurons, including AWB and AWC neurons. Based on the evolutionary conservation of PIM-related kinases, our data may have implications in regulation of also mammalian olfaction.
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22
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Wan X, Zhou Y, Chan CM, Yang H, Yeung C, Chow KL. SRD-1 in AWA neurons is the receptor for female volatile sex pheromones in C. elegans males. EMBO Rep 2019; 20:embr.201846288. [PMID: 30792215 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201846288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Revised: 12/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Pheromones are critical cues for attracting mating partners for successful reproduction. Sexually mature Caenorhabditis remanei virgin females and self-sperm-depleted Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodites produce volatile sex pheromones to attract adult males of both species from afar. The chemoresponsive receptor in males has remained unknown. Here, we show that the male chemotactic behavior requires amphid sensory neurons (AWA neurons) and the G-protein-coupled receptor SRD-1. SRD-1 expression in AWA neurons is sexually dimorphic, with the levels being high in males but undetectable in hermaphrodites. Notably, srd-1 mutant males lack the chemotactic response and pheromone-induced excitation of AWA neurons, both of which can be restored in males and hermaphrodites by AWA-specific srd-1 expression, and ectopic expression of srd-1 in AWB neurons in srd-1 mutants results in a repulsive behavioral response in both sexes. Furthermore, we show that the C-terminal region of SRD-1 confers species-specific differences in the ability to perceive sex pheromones between C. elegans and C. remanei These findings offer an excellent model for dissecting how a single G-protein-coupled receptor expressed in a dimorphic neural system contributes to sex-specific behaviors in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Wan
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Yuan Zhou
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Chung Man Chan
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Hainan Yang
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Christine Yeung
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - King L Chow
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, Hong Kong .,Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.,Interdisciplinary Programs Office, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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23
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Peymen K, Watteyne J, Borghgraef C, Van Sinay E, Beets I, Schoofs L. Myoinhibitory peptide signaling modulates aversive gustatory learning in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1007945. [PMID: 30779740 PMCID: PMC6380545 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Aversive learning and memories are crucial for animals to avoid previously encountered stressful stimuli and thereby increase their chance of survival. Neuropeptides are essential signaling molecules in the brain and are emerging as important modulators of learned behaviors, but their precise role is not well understood. Here, we show that neuropeptides of the evolutionarily conserved MyoInhibitory Peptide (MIP)-family modify salt chemotaxis behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans according to previous experience. MIP signaling, through activation of the G protein-coupled receptor SPRR-2, is required for short-term gustatory plasticity. In addition, MIP/SPRR-2 neuropeptide-receptor signaling mediates another type of aversive gustatory learning called salt avoidance learning that depends on de novo transcription, translation and the CREB transcription factor, all hallmarks of long-term memory. MIP/SPRR-2 signaling mediates salt avoidance learning in parallel with insulin signaling. These findings lay a foundation to investigate the suggested orphan MIP receptor orthologs in deuterostomians, including human GPR139 and GPR142. All animals rely on learning and memory processes to learn from experience and thereby increase their chance of survival. Neuropeptides are essential signaling molecules in the brain and are emerging as important modulators of learning and memory processes. We found that the C. elegans receptor SPRR-2 and its ligands, the MIP-1 neuropeptides—which are members of the evolutionarily conserved myoinhibitory peptide system—are required for aversive gustatory learning. Our results provide a basis for investigations into the poorly characterized MIP systems in deuterostomians, including humans, and suggest a possible function in learning for human MIP signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katleen Peymen
- Department of Biology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Watteyne
- Department of Biology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Elien Van Sinay
- Department of Biology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Isabel Beets
- Department of Biology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
- * E-mail: (IB); (LS)
| | - Liliane Schoofs
- Department of Biology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
- * E-mail: (IB); (LS)
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Jensen VL, Lambacher NJ, Li C, Mohan S, Williams CL, Inglis PN, Yoder BK, Blacque OE, Leroux MR. Role for intraflagellar transport in building a functional transition zone. EMBO Rep 2018; 19:e45862. [PMID: 30429209 PMCID: PMC6280794 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201845862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic disorders caused by cilia dysfunction, termed ciliopathies, frequently involve the intraflagellar transport (IFT) system. Mutations in IFT subunits-including IFT-dynein motor DYNC2H1-impair ciliary structures and Hedgehog signalling, typically leading to "skeletal" ciliopathies such as Jeune asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy. Intriguingly, IFT gene mutations also cause eye, kidney and brain ciliopathies often linked to defects in the transition zone (TZ), a ciliary gate implicated in Hedgehog signalling. Here, we identify a C. elegans temperature-sensitive (ts) IFT-dynein mutant (che-3; human DYNC2H1) and use it to show a role for retrograde IFT in anterograde transport and ciliary maintenance. Unexpectedly, correct TZ assembly and gating function for periciliary proteins also require IFT-dynein. Using the reversibility of the novel ts-IFT-dynein, we show that restoring IFT in adults (post-developmentally) reverses defects in ciliary structure, TZ protein localisation and ciliary gating. Notably, this ability to reverse TZ defects declines as animals age. Together, our findings reveal a previously unknown role for IFT in TZ assembly in metazoans, providing new insights into the pathomechanism and potential phenotypic overlap between IFT- and TZ-associated ciliopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor L Jensen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and Centre for Cell Biology, Development and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Nils J Lambacher
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and Centre for Cell Biology, Development and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Chunmei Li
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and Centre for Cell Biology, Development and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Swetha Mohan
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and Centre for Cell Biology, Development and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Corey L Williams
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical School, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Peter N Inglis
- Department of Biology, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey, BC, Canada
| | - Bradley K Yoder
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical School, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Oliver E Blacque
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Michel R Leroux
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and Centre for Cell Biology, Development and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
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Guo M, Ge M, Berberoglu MA, Zhou J, Ma L, Yang J, Dong Q, Feng Y, Wu Z, Dong Z. Dissecting Molecular and Circuit Mechanisms for Inhibition and Delayed Response of ASI Neurons during Nociceptive Stimulus. Cell Rep 2018; 25:1885-1897.e9. [PMID: 30428355 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.10.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms by which off-response neurons stay quiescent during stimulation are largely unknown. Here, we dissect underlying molecular and circuit mechanisms for the inhibition of off-response ASI neurons during nociceptive Cu2+ stimulation. ASIs are inhibited in parallel by sensory neurons ASER, ADFs, and ASHs. ASER activates RIC interneurons that release octopamine (OA) to inhibit ASIs through SER-3 and SER-6 receptors. ADFs release 5-HT that acts on the SER-1 receptor to activate RICs and subsequently inhibit ASIs. Furthermore, it is an inherent property of ASIs that only a delayed on response is evoked by Cu2+ stimulation even when all inhibitory neurons are silenced. Ectopic expression of the ion channel OCR-2, which functions synergistically with OSM-9, in the cilia of ASIs can induce an immediate on response of ASIs upon Cu2+ stimulation. Our findings elucidate the molecular and circuit mechanisms regulating fundamental properties of ASIs, including their inhibition and delayed response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Guo
- Bio-Medical Center, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Minghai Ge
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Michael A Berberoglu
- Bio-Medical Center, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Jie Zhou
- Bio-Medical Center, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Long Ma
- Bio-Medical Center, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Juan Yang
- Bio-Medical Center, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Qiyan Dong
- Bio-Medical Center, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Yanni Feng
- Bio-Medical Center, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Zhengxing Wu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Zhiqiang Dong
- Bio-Medical Center, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
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26
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Page AP. The sensory amphidial structures of Caenorhabditis elegans are involved in macrocyclic lactone uptake and anthelmintic resistance. Int J Parasitol 2018; 48:1035-1042. [PMID: 30253131 PMCID: PMC6237615 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2018.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Revised: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Parasitic nematodes represent formidable pathogens of humans, livestock and crop plants. Control of these parasites is almost exclusively dependent on a small group of anthelmintic drugs, the most important of which belong to the macrocyclic lactone class. The extensive use of these drugs to control the ubiquitous trichostrongylid parasites of grazing livestock has resulted in the emergence of both single and multi-drug resistance. The expectation is that this resistance will eventually occur in the human parasites such as the common and debilitating soil transmitted nematodes and vector-borne filarial nematodes. While the modes of action of anthelmintics such as ivermectin, have been elucidated, notably in the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the molecular nature of this resistance remains to be fully determined. Here we show that the anterior amphids play a key role in ivermectin uptake and mutations in these sensory structures result in ivermectin resistance in C. elegans. Random genetic mutant screens, detailed analysis of existing amphid mutants and lipophilic dye uptake indicate that the non-motile ciliated amphid neurons are a major route of ivermectin ingress; the majority of the mutants characterised in this study are predicted to be involved in intraflagellar transport. In addition to a role in ivermectin resistance, a subset of the amphid mutants are resistant to the non-related benzimidazole class of anthelmintics, raising the potential link to a multi-drug resistance mechanism. The amphid structures are present in all nematodes and are clearly defined in a drug-sensitive strain of Haemonchus contortus. It is predicted that amphidial drug uptake and intraflagellar transport may prove to be significant in the development of single and multi-drug resistance in the nematode pathogens of veterinary and human importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antony P Page
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH United Kingdom.
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27
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Moreno E, Sommer RJ. A cilia-mediated environmental input induces solitary behaviour in Caenorhabditis elegans and Pristionchus pacificus nematodes. NEMATOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1163/15685411-00003159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Nematodes respond to a multitude of environmental cues. For example, the social behaviours clumping and bordering were described as a mechanism of hyperoxia avoidance in Caenorhabditis elegans and Pristionchus pacificus. A recent study in P. pacificus revealed a novel regulatory pathway that inhibits social behaviour in a response to an as yet unknown environmental cue. This environmental signal is recognised by ciliated neurons, as mutants defective in intraflagellar transport (IFT) proteins display social behaviours. The IFT machinery represents a large protein complex and many mutants in genes encoding IFT proteins are available in C. elegans. However, social phenotypes in C. elegans IFT mutants have never been reported. Here, we examined 15 previously isolated C. elegans IFT mutants and found that most of them showed strong social behaviour. These findings indicate conservation in the inhibitory mechanism of social behaviour between P. pacificus and C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Moreno
- Department for Integrative Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Max-Planck Ring 9, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ralf J. Sommer
- Department for Integrative Evolutionary Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Max-Planck Ring 9, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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28
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Murayama T, Maruyama I. Plate Assay to Determine Caenorhabditis elegans Response to Water Soluble and Volatile Chemicals. Bio Protoc 2018; 8:e2740. [DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.2740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2017] [Revised: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
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Chai CM, Cronin CJ, Sternberg PW. Automated Analysis of a Nematode Population-based Chemosensory Preference Assay. J Vis Exp 2017. [PMID: 28745641 PMCID: PMC5612354 DOI: 10.3791/55963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans' compact nervous system of only 302 neurons underlies a diverse repertoire of behaviors. To facilitate the dissection of the neural circuits underlying these behaviors, the development of robust and reproducible behavioral assays is necessary. Previous C. elegans behavioral studies have used variations of a "drop test", a "chemotaxis assay", and a "retention assay" to investigate the response of C. elegans to soluble compounds. The method described in this article seeks to combine the complementary strengths of the three aforementioned assays. Briefly, a small circle in the middle of each assay plate is divided into four quadrants with the control and experimental solutions alternately placed. After the addition of the worms, the assay plates are loaded into a behavior chamber where microscope cameras record the worms' encounters with the treated regions. Automated video analysis is then performed and a preference index (PI) value for each video is generated. The video acquisition and automated analysis features of this method minimizes the experimenter's involvement and any associated errors. Furthermore, minute amounts of the experimental compound are used per assay and the behavior chamber's multi-camera setup increases experimental throughput. This method is particularly useful for conducting behavioral screens of genetic mutants and novel chemical compounds. However, this method is not appropriate for studying stimulus gradient navigation due to the close proximity of the control and experimental solution regions. It should also not be used when only a small population of worms is available. While suitable for assaying responses only to soluble compounds in its current form, this method can be easily modified to accommodate multimodal sensory interaction and optogenetic studies. This method can also be adapted to assay the chemosensory responses of other nematode species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia M Chai
- Division of Biology and Bioengineering, California Institute of Technology; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology;
| | - Christopher J Cronin
- Division of Biology and Bioengineering, California Institute of Technology; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology
| | - Paul W Sternberg
- Division of Biology and Bioengineering, California Institute of Technology; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology
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30
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Nishijima S, Maruyama IN. Appetitive Olfactory Learning and Long-Term Associative Memory in Caenorhabditis elegans. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:80. [PMID: 28507513 PMCID: PMC5410607 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Because of the relative simplicity of its nervous system, Caenorhabditis elegans is a useful model organism to study learning and memory at cellular and molecular levels. For appetitive conditioning in C. elegans, food has exclusively been used as an unconditioned stimulus (US). It may be difficult to analyze neuronal circuits for associative memory since food is a multimodal combination of olfactory, gustatory, and mechanical stimuli. Here, we report classical appetitive conditioning and associative memory in C. elegans, using 1-nonanol as a conditioned stimulus (CS), and potassium chloride (KCl) as a US. Before conditioning, C. elegans innately avoided 1-nonanol, an aversive olfactory stimulus, and was attracted by KCl, an appetitive gustatory stimulus, on assay agar plates. Both massed training without an intertrial interval (ITI) and spaced training with a 10-min ITI induced significant levels of memory of association regarding the two chemicals. Memory induced by massed training decayed within 6 h, while that induced by spaced training was retained for more than 6 h. Animals treated with inhibitors of transcription or translation formed the memory induced by spaced training less efficiently than untreated animals, whereas the memory induced by massed training was not significantly affected by such treatments. By definition, therefore, memories induced by massed training and spaced training are classified as short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM), respectively. When animals conditioned by spaced training were exposed to 1-nonanol alone, their learning index was lower than that of untreated animals, suggesting that extinction learning occurs in C. elegans. In support of these results, C. elegans mutants defective in nmr-1, encoding an NMDA receptor subunit, formed both STM and LTM less efficiently than wild-type animals, while mutations in crh-1, encoding a ubiquitous transcription factor CREB required for memory consolidation, affected LTM, but not STM. The paradigm established in the present study should allow us to elucidate neuronal circuit plasticity for appetitive learning and memory in C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ichiro N. Maruyama
- Information Processing Biology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate UniversityOkinawa, Japan
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31
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Superoxide dismutase SOD-1 modulates C. elegans pathogen avoidance behavior. Sci Rep 2017; 7:45128. [PMID: 28322326 PMCID: PMC5359715 DOI: 10.1038/srep45128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The C. elegans nervous system mediates protective physiological and behavioral responses amid infection. However, it remains largely unknown how the nervous system responds to reactive oxygen species (ROS) activated by pathogenic microbes during infection. Here, we show superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD-1), an enzyme that converts superoxide into less toxic hydrogen peroxide and oxygen, functions in the gustatory neuron ASER to mediate C. elegans pathogen avoidance response. When C. elegans first encounters pathogenic bacteria P. aeruginosa, SOD-1 is induced in the ASER neuron. After prolonged P. aeruginosa exposure, ASER-specific SOD-1 expression is diminished. In turn, C. elegans starts to vacate the pathogenic bacteria lawn. Genetic knockdown experiments reveal that pathogen-induced ROS activate sod-1 dependent behavioral response non cell-autonomously. We postulate that the delayed aversive response to detrimental microbes may provide survival benefits by allowing C. elegans to temporarily utilize food that is tainted with pathogens as an additional energy source. Our data offer a mechanistic insight into how the nervous system mediates food-seeking behavior amid oxidative stress and suggest that the internal state of redox homeostasis could underlie the behavioral response to harmful microbial species.
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32
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Control of Neuropeptide Expression by Parallel Activity-dependent Pathways in Caenorhabditis elegans. Sci Rep 2017; 7:38734. [PMID: 28139692 PMCID: PMC5282578 DOI: 10.1038/srep38734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Monitoring of neuronal activity within circuits facilitates integrated responses and rapid changes in behavior. We have identified a system in Caenorhabditis elegans where neuropeptide expression is dependent on the ability of the BAG neurons to sense carbon dioxide. In C. elegans, CO2 sensing is predominantly coordinated by the BAG-expressed receptor-type guanylate cyclase GCY-9. GCY-9 binding to CO2 causes accumulation of cyclic GMP and opening of the cGMP-gated TAX-2/TAX-4 cation channels; provoking an integrated downstream cascade that enables C. elegans to avoid high CO2. Here we show that cGMP regulation by GCY-9 and the PDE-1 phosphodiesterase controls BAG expression of a FMRFamide-related neuropeptide FLP-19 reporter (flp-19::GFP). This regulation is specific for CO2-sensing function of the BAG neurons, as loss of oxygen sensing function does not affect flp-19::GFP expression. We also found that expression of flp-19::GFP is controlled in parallel to GCY-9 by the activity-dependent transcription factor CREB (CRH-1) and the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (KIN-2) signaling pathway. We therefore show that two parallel pathways regulate neuropeptide gene expression in the BAG sensory neurons: the ability to sense changes in carbon dioxide and CREB transcription factor. Such regulation may be required in particular environmental conditions to enable sophisticated behavioral decisions to be performed.
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Bainbridge C, Rodriguez A, Schuler A, Cisneros M, Vidal-Gadea AG. Magnetic orientation in C. elegans relies on the integrity of the villi of the AFD magnetosensory neurons. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 110:76-82. [PMID: 27940210 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Revised: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The magnetic field of the earth provides many organisms with sufficient information to successfully navigate through their environments. While evidence suggests the widespread use of this sensory modality across many taxa, it remains an understudied sensory modality. We have recently showed that the nematode C. elegans orients to earth-strength magnetic fields using the first pair of described magnetosensory neurons, AFDs. The AFD cells are a pair of ciliated sensory neurons crowned by fifty villi known to be implicated in temperature sensation. We investigated the potential importance of these subcellular structures for the performance of magnetic orientation. We show that ciliary integrity and villi number are essential for magnetic orientation. Mutants with impairments AFD cilia or villi structure failed to orient to magnetic fields. Similarly, C. elegans larvae possessing immature AFD neurons with fewer villi were also unable to orient to magnetic fields. Larvae of every stage however retained the ability to orient to thermal gradients. To our knowledge, this is the first behavioral separation of magnetic and thermal orientation in C. elegans. We conclude that magnetic orientation relies on the function of both cilia and villi in the AFD neurons. The role of villi in multiple sensory transduction pathways involved in the sensory transduction of vectorial stimuli further supports the likely role of the villi of the AFD neurons as the site for magnetic field transduction. The genetic and behavioral tractability of C. elegans make it a promising system for uncovering potentially conserved molecular mechanisms by which animals across taxa detect and orient to magnetic fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chance Bainbridge
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Anjelica Rodriguez
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Andrew Schuler
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Michael Cisneros
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Andrés G Vidal-Gadea
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA. http://biology.illinoisstate.edu/avidal
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The nephronophthisis-related gene ift-139 is required for ciliogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans. Sci Rep 2016; 6:31544. [PMID: 27515926 PMCID: PMC4981862 DOI: 10.1038/srep31544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2016] [Accepted: 07/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Defects in cilia cause a spectrum of diseases known as ciliopathies. Nephronophthisis, a ciliopathy, is the most common genetic cause of renal disease. Here, I cloned and analysed a nephronophthisis-related gene ift-139 in Caenorhabditis elegans. ift-139 was exclusively expressed in ciliated neurons in C. elegans. Genetic and cellular analyses suggest that ift-139 plays a role in retrograde intraflagellar transport and is required for cilia formation. A homologous point mutation that causes ciliopathy disrupted the function of ift-139 in C. elegans. ift-139 is an orthologue of human TTC21B, mutations in which are known to cause nephronophthisis 12 and short-rib thoracic dysplasia 4. These results suggest that ift-139 is evolutionarily conserved and fundamental to the formation of cilia.
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35
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Timbers TA, Garland SJ, Mohan S, Flibotte S, Edgley M, Muncaster Q, Au V, Li-Leger E, Rosell FI, Cai J, Rademakers S, Jansen G, Moerman DG, Leroux MR. Accelerating Gene Discovery by Phenotyping Whole-Genome Sequenced Multi-mutation Strains and Using the Sequence Kernel Association Test (SKAT). PLoS Genet 2016; 12:e1006235. [PMID: 27508411 PMCID: PMC4980031 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Forward genetic screens represent powerful, unbiased approaches to uncover novel components in any biological process. Such screens suffer from a major bottleneck, however, namely the cloning of corresponding genes causing the phenotypic variation. Reverse genetic screens have been employed as a way to circumvent this issue, but can often be limited in scope. Here we demonstrate an innovative approach to gene discovery. Using C. elegans as a model system, we used a whole-genome sequenced multi-mutation library, from the Million Mutation Project, together with the Sequence Kernel Association Test (SKAT), to rapidly screen for and identify genes associated with a phenotype of interest, namely defects in dye-filling of ciliated sensory neurons. Such anomalies in dye-filling are often associated with the disruption of cilia, organelles which in humans are implicated in sensory physiology (including vision, smell and hearing), development and disease. Beyond identifying several well characterised dye-filling genes, our approach uncovered three genes not previously linked to ciliated sensory neuron development or function. From these putative novel dye-filling genes, we confirmed the involvement of BGNT-1.1 in ciliated sensory neuron function and morphogenesis. BGNT-1.1 functions at the trans-Golgi network of sheath cells (glia) to influence dye-filling and cilium length, in a cell non-autonomous manner. Notably, BGNT-1.1 is the orthologue of human B3GNT1/B4GAT1, a glycosyltransferase associated with Walker-Warburg syndrome (WWS). WWS is a multigenic disorder characterised by muscular dystrophy as well as brain and eye anomalies. Together, our work unveils an effective and innovative approach to gene discovery, and provides the first evidence that B3GNT1-associated Walker-Warburg syndrome may be considered a ciliopathy. Model organisms are useful tools for uncovering new genes involved in a biological process via genetic screens. Such an approach is powerful, but suffers from drawbacks that can slow down gene discovery. In forward genetics screens, difficult-to-map phenotypes present daunting challenges, and whole-genome coverage can be equally challenging for reverse genetic screens where typically only a single gene’s function is assayed per strain. Here, we show a different approach which includes positive aspects of forward (high-coverage, randomly-induced mutations) and reverse genetics (prior knowledge of gene disruption) to accelerate gene discovery. We paired a whole-genome sequenced multi-mutation C. elegans library with a rare-variant associated test to rapidly identify genes associated with a phenotype of interest: defects in sensory neurons bearing sensory organelles called cilia, via a simple dye-filling assay to probe the form and function of these cells. We found two well characterised dye-filling genes and three genes, not previously linked to ciliated sensory neuron development or function, that were associated with dye-filling defects. We reveal that disruption of one of these (BGNT-1.1), whose human orthologue is associated with Walker-Warburg syndrome, results in abrogated uptake of dye and cilia length defects. We believe that our novel approach is useful for any organism with a small genome that can be quickly sequenced and where many mutant strains can be easily isolated and phenotyped, such as Drosophila and Arabidopsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany A. Timbers
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Centre for Cell Biology, Development, and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Stephanie J. Garland
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Swetha Mohan
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Centre for Cell Biology, Development, and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Stephane Flibotte
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Mark Edgley
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Quintin Muncaster
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Centre for Cell Biology, Development, and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Vinci Au
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Erica Li-Leger
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Federico I. Rosell
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jerry Cai
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Centre for Cell Biology, Development, and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Gert Jansen
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Donald G. Moerman
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michel R. Leroux
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Centre for Cell Biology, Development, and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Ascarosides coordinate the dispersal of a plant-parasitic nematode with the metamorphosis of its vector beetle. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12341. [PMID: 27477780 PMCID: PMC4974635 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect vectors are required for the transmission of many species of parasitic nematodes, but the mechanisms by which the vectors and nematodes coordinate their life cycles are poorly understood. Here, we report that ascarosides, an evolutionarily conserved family of nematode pheromones, are produced not only by a plant-parasitic nematode, but also by its vector beetle. The pinewood nematode and its vector beetle cause pine wilt disease, which threatens forest ecosystems world-wide. Ascarosides secreted by the dispersal third-stage nematode LIII larvae promote beetle pupation by inducing ecdysone production in the beetle and up-regulating ecdysone-dependent gene expression. Once the beetle develops into the adult stage, it secretes ascarosides that attract the dispersal fourth-stage nematode LIV larvae, potentially facilitating their movement into the beetle trachea for transport to the next pine tree. These results demonstrate that ascarosides play a key role in the survival and spread of pine wilt disease. Many species of nematodes use pheromones called ascarosides to coordinate their behaviour and development. Here, Zhao et al. demonstrate that the beetle vector of the pinewood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) also uses and responds to ascarosides in its interactions with the nematodes.
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Reck J, Schauer AM, VanderWaal Mills K, Bower R, Tritschler D, Perrone CA, Porter ME. The role of the dynein light intermediate chain in retrograde IFT and flagellar function in Chlamydomonas. Mol Biol Cell 2016; 27:2404-22. [PMID: 27251063 PMCID: PMC4966982 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e16-03-0191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The assembly of cilia and flagella depends on the activity of two microtubule motor complexes, kinesin-2 and dynein-2/1b, but the specific functions of the different subunits are poorly defined. Here we analyze Chlamydomonas strains expressing different amounts of the dynein 1b light intermediate chain (D1bLIC). Disruption of D1bLIC alters the stability of the dynein 1b complex and reduces both the frequency and velocity of retrograde intraflagellar transport (IFT), but it does not eliminate retrograde IFT. Flagellar assembly, motility, gliding, and mating are altered in a dose-dependent manner. iTRAQ-based proteomics identifies a small subset of proteins that are significantly reduced or elevated in d1blic flagella. Transformation with D1bLIC-GFP rescues the mutant phenotypes, and D1bLIC-GFP assembles into the dynein 1b complex at wild-type levels. D1bLIC-GFP is transported with anterograde IFT particles to the flagellar tip, dissociates into smaller particles, and begins processive retrograde IFT in <2 s. These studies demonstrate the role of D1bLIC in facilitating the recycling of IFT subunits and other proteins, identify new components potentially involved in the regulation of IFT, flagellar assembly, and flagellar signaling, and provide insight into the role of D1bLIC and retrograde IFT in other organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaimee Reck
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN 55413
| | - Alexandria M Schauer
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108
| | - Kristyn VanderWaal Mills
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 Anoka Technical College, Anoka, MN 55303
| | - Raqual Bower
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Douglas Tritschler
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Catherine A Perrone
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN 55432
| | - Mary E Porter
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
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O'Halloran DM. NemaCount: quantification of nematode chemotaxis behavior in a browser. INVERTEBRATE NEUROSCIENCE 2016; 16:5. [PMID: 27209025 DOI: 10.1007/s10158-016-0188-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/10/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Nematodes such as Caenorhabditis elegans offer a very effective and tractable system to probe the underlying mechanisms of diverse sensory behaviors. Numerous platforms exist for quantifying nematode behavior and often require separate dependencies or software. Here I describe a novel and simple tool called NemaCount that provides a versatile solution for the quantification of nematode chemotaxis behavior. The ease of installation and user-friendly interface makes NemaCount a practical tool for measuring diverse behaviors and image features of nematodes such as C. elegans. The main advantage of NemaCount is that it operates from within a modern browser such as Google Chrome or Apple Safari. Any features that change in total number, size, shape, or angular distance between control and experimental preparations are suited to NemaCount for image analysis, while commonly used chemotaxis assays can be quantified, and statistically analyzed using a suite of functions from within NemaCount. NemaCount also offers image filtering options that allow the user to improve object detection and measurements. NemaCount was validated by examining nematode chemotaxis behavior; angular distances of locomotory tracks in C. elegans; and body lengths of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora nematodes. Apart from a modern browser, no additional software is required to operate NemaCount, making NemaCount a cheap, simple option for the analysis of nematode images and chemotaxis behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien M O'Halloran
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Science and Engineering Hall 6000, 800 22nd St N.W., Washington, DC, 20052, USA. .,Institute for Neuroscience, George Washington University, 636 Ross Hall, 2300 I St. NW, Washington, DC, 20052, USA.
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Loucks CM, Bialas NJ, Dekkers MPJ, Walker DS, Grundy LJ, Li C, Inglis PN, Kida K, Schafer WR, Blacque OE, Jansen G, Leroux MR. PACRG, a protein linked to ciliary motility, mediates cellular signaling. Mol Biol Cell 2016; 27:2133-44. [PMID: 27193298 PMCID: PMC4927285 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e15-07-0490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cilia are cellular projections that can be motile to generate fluid flow or nonmotile to enable signaling. Both forms are based on shared components, and proteins involved in ciliary motility, like PACRG, may also function in ciliary signaling. Caenorhabditis elegans PACRG acts in a subset of nonmotile cilia to influence a learning behavior and promote longevity. Cilia are microtubule-based organelles that project from nearly all mammalian cell types. Motile cilia generate fluid flow, whereas nonmotile (primary) cilia are required for sensory physiology and modulate various signal transduction pathways. Here we investigate the nonmotile ciliary signaling roles of parkin coregulated gene (PACRG), a protein linked to ciliary motility. PACRG is associated with the protofilament ribbon, a structure believed to dictate the regular arrangement of motility-associated ciliary components. Roles for protofilament ribbon–associated proteins in nonmotile cilia and cellular signaling have not been investigated. We show that PACRG localizes to a small subset of nonmotile cilia in Caenorhabditis elegans, suggesting an evolutionary adaptation for mediating specific sensory/signaling functions. We find that it influences a learning behavior known as gustatory plasticity, in which it is functionally coupled to heterotrimeric G-protein signaling. We also demonstrate that PACRG promotes longevity in C. elegans by acting upstream of the lifespan-promoting FOXO transcription factor DAF-16 and likely upstream of insulin/IGF signaling. Our findings establish previously unrecognized sensory/signaling functions for PACRG and point to a role for this protein in promoting longevity. Furthermore, our work suggests additional ciliary motility-signaling connections, since EFHC1 (EF-hand containing 1), a potential PACRG interaction partner similarly associated with the protofilament ribbon and ciliary motility, also positively regulates lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catrina M Loucks
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Centre for Cell Biology, Development and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Nathan J Bialas
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Centre for Cell Biology, Development and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | | | - Denise S Walker
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Laura J Grundy
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Chunmei Li
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Centre for Cell Biology, Development and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - P Nick Inglis
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Centre for Cell Biology, Development and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Katarzyna Kida
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - William R Schafer
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Oliver E Blacque
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Gert Jansen
- Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus MC, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Michel R Leroux
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Centre for Cell Biology, Development and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
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40
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cGMP Signalling Mediates Water Sensation (Hydrosensation) and Hydrotaxis in Caenorhabditis elegans. Sci Rep 2016; 6:19779. [PMID: 26891989 PMCID: PMC4759535 DOI: 10.1038/srep19779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals have developed the ability to sense the water content in their habitats, including hygrosensation (sensing humidity in the air) and hydrosensation (sensing the water content in other microenvironments), and they display preferences for specific water contents that influence their mating, reproduction and geographic distribution. We developed and employed four quantitative behavioural test paradigms to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying sensing the water content in an agar substrate (hydrosensation) and hydrotaxis in Caenorhabditis elegans. By combining a reverse genetic screen with genetic manipulation, optogenetic neuronal manipulation and in vivo Ca2+ imaging, we demonstrate that adult worms avoid the wetter areas of agar plates and hypo-osmotic water droplets. We found that the cGMP signalling pathway in ciliated sensory neurons is involved in hydrosensation and hydrotaxis in Caenorhabditis elegans.
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41
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San Agustin JT, Pazour GJ, Witman GB. Intraflagellar transport is essential for mammalian spermiogenesis but is absent in mature sperm. Mol Biol Cell 2015; 26:4358-72. [PMID: 26424803 PMCID: PMC4666132 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e15-08-0578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2015] [Accepted: 09/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is necessary for the assembly and maintenance of most cilia, with the exception of gametic flagella in some organisms. IFT is required for assembly of mouse sperm flagella, and defects in IFT lead to male infertility. However, mature sperm lack IFT proteins and thus do not require IFT for maintenance of the axoneme. Drosophila sperm are unusual in that they do not require the intraflagellar transport (IFT) system for assembly of their flagella. In the mouse, the IFT proteins are very abundant in testis, but we here show that mature sperm are completely devoid of them, making the importance of IFT to mammalian sperm development unclear. To address this question, we characterized spermiogenesis and fertility in the Ift88Tg737Rpw mouse. This mouse has a hypomorphic mutation in the gene encoding the IFT88 subunit of the IFT particle. This mutation is highly disruptive to ciliary assembly in other organs. Ift88−/− mice are completely sterile. They produce ∼350-fold fewer sperm than wild-type mice, and the remaining sperm completely lack or have very short flagella. The short flagella rarely have axonemes but assemble ectopic microtubules and outer dense fibers and accumulate improperly assembled fibrous sheath proteins. Thus IFT is essential for the formation but not the maintenance of mammalian sperm flagella.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jovenal T San Agustin
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605
| | - Gregory J Pazour
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605
| | - George B Witman
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655
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42
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Larsch J, Flavell SW, Liu Q, Gordus A, Albrecht DR, Bargmann CI. A Circuit for Gradient Climbing in C. elegans Chemotaxis. Cell Rep 2015; 12:1748-60. [PMID: 26365196 PMCID: PMC5045890 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.08.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Revised: 07/20/2015] [Accepted: 08/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals have a remarkable ability to track dynamic sensory information. For example, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can locate a diacetyl odor source across a 100,000-fold concentration range. Here, we relate neuronal properties, circuit implementation, and behavioral strategies underlying this robust navigation. Diacetyl responses in AWA olfactory neurons are concentration and history dependent; AWA integrates over time at low odor concentrations, but as concentrations rise, it desensitizes rapidly through a process requiring cilia transport. After desensitization, AWA retains sensitivity to small odor increases. The downstream AIA interneuron amplifies weak odor inputs and desensitizes further, resulting in a stereotyped response to odor increases over three orders of magnitude. The AWA-AIA circuit drives asymmetric behavioral responses to odor increases that facilitate gradient climbing. The adaptation-based circuit motif embodied by AWA and AIA shares computational properties with bacterial chemotaxis and the vertebrate retina, each providing a solution for maintaining sensitivity across a dynamic range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Larsch
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Steven W Flavell
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Qiang Liu
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Andrew Gordus
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Dirk R Albrecht
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Cornelia I Bargmann
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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43
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Quantitative analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans chemotaxis using a microfluidic device. Anal Chim Acta 2015; 887:155-162. [PMID: 26320797 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2015.07.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2014] [Revised: 04/24/2015] [Accepted: 07/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans, one of the widely studied model organisms, sense external chemical cues and perform relative chemotaxis behaviors through its simple chemosensory neuronal system. To study the mechanism underlying chemosensory behavior, a rapid and reliable method for quantitatively analyzing the worms' behaviors is essential. In this work, we demonstrated a microfluidic approach for investigating chemotaxis responses of worms to chemical gradients. The flow-based microfluidic chip was consisted of circular tree-like microchannels, which was able to generate eight flow streams containing stepwise chemical concentrations without the difference in flow velocity. Worms' upstream swimming into microchannels with various concentrations was monitored for quantitative analysis of the chemotaxis behavior. By using this microfluidic chip, the attractive and repellent responses of C. elegans to NaCl were successfully quantified within several minutes. The results demonstrated the wild type-like repellent responses and severely impaired attractive responses in grk-2 mutant animals with defects in calcium influx. In addition, the chemotaxis analysis of the third stage larvae revealed that its gustatory response was different from that in the adult stage. Thus, our microfluidic method provided a useful platform for studying the chemosensory behaviors of C. elegans and screening of chemosensation-related chemical drugs.
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44
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Hou
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, United States
| | - George B Witman
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, United States.
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45
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Min H, Kawasaki I, Gong J, Shim YH. Caffeine induces high expression of cyp-35A family genes and inhibits the early larval development in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mol Cells 2015; 38:236-42. [PMID: 25591395 PMCID: PMC4363723 DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2015.2282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2014] [Revised: 11/24/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Intake of caffeine during pregnancy can cause retardation of fetal development. Although the significant influence of caffeine on animal development is widely recognized, much remains unknown about its mode of action because of its pleiotropic effects on living organisms. In the present study, by using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism, the effects of caffeine on development were examined. Brood size, embryonic lethality, and percent larval development were investigated, and caffeine was found to inhibit the development of C. elegans at most of the stages in a dosage-dependent fashion. Upon treatment with 30 mM caffeine, the majority (86.1 ± 3.4%) of the L1 larvae were irreversibly arrested without further development. In contrast, many of the late-stage larvae survived and grew to adults when exposed to the same 30 mM caffeine. These results suggest that early-stage larvae are more susceptible to caffeine than later-stage larvae. To understand the metabolic responses to caffeine treatment, the levels of expression of cytochrome P450 (cyp) genes were examined with or without caffeine treatment using comparative micro-array, and it was found that the expression of 24 cyp genes was increased by more than 2-fold (p < 0.05). Among them, induction of the cyp-35A gene family was the most prominent. Interestingly, depletion of the cyp-35A family genes one-by-one or in combination through RNA interference resulted in partial rescue from early larval developmental arrest caused by caffeine treatment, suggesting that the high-level induction of cyp-35A family genes can be fatal to the development of early-stage larvae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyemin Min
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701,
Korea
| | - Ichiro Kawasaki
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701,
Korea
| | - Joomi Gong
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701,
Korea
| | - Yhong-Hee Shim
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701,
Korea
- Institute of KU Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701,
Korea
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46
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Guo M, Wu TH, Song YX, Ge MH, Su CM, Niu WP, Li LL, Xu ZJ, Ge CL, Al-Mhanawi MTH, Wu SP, Wu ZX. Reciprocal inhibition between sensory ASH and ASI neurons modulates nociception and avoidance in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nat Commun 2015; 6:5655. [PMID: 25585042 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2014] [Accepted: 10/24/2014] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory modulation is essential for animal sensations, behaviours and survival. Peripheral modulations of nociceptive sensations and aversive behaviours are poorly understood. Here we identify a biased cross-inhibitory neural circuit between ASH and ASI sensory neurons. This inhibition is essential to drive normal adaptive avoidance of a CuSO4 (Cu(2+)) challenge in Caenorhabditis elegans. In the circuit, ASHs respond to Cu(2+) robustly and suppress ASIs via electro-synaptically exciting octopaminergic RIC interneurons, which release octopamine (OA), and neuroendocrinally inhibit ASI by acting on the SER-3 receptor. In addition, ASIs sense Cu(2+) and permit a rapid onset of Cu(2+)-evoked responses in Cu(2+)-sensitive ADF neurons via neuropeptides possibly, to inhibit ASHs. ADFs function as interneurons to mediate ASI inhibition of ASHs by releasing serotonin (5-HT) that binds with the SER-5 receptor on ASHs. This elaborate modulation among sensory neurons via reciprocal inhibition fine-tunes the nociception and avoidance behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Guo
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Tai-Hong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Yan-Xue Song
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Ming-Hai Ge
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Chun-Ming Su
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Wei-Pin Niu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Lan-Lan Li
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Zi-Jing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Chang-Li Ge
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Maha T H Al-Mhanawi
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Shi-Ping Wu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430073, China
| | - Zheng-Xing Wu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China
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47
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Wei Q, Xu Q, Zhang Y, Li Y, Zhang Q, Hu Z, Harris PC, Torres VE, Ling K, Hu J. Transition fibre protein FBF1 is required for the ciliary entry of assembled intraflagellar transport complexes. Nat Commun 2014; 4:2750. [PMID: 24231678 PMCID: PMC3856926 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2013] [Accepted: 10/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory organelle cilia have critical roles in mammalian embryonic development and tissue homeostasis. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) machinery is required for the assembly and maintenance of cilia. Yet, how this large complex passes through the size-dependent barrier at the ciliary base remains enigmatic. Here we report that FBF1, a highly conserved transition fibre protein, is required for the ciliary import of assembled IFT particles at the ciliary base. We cloned dyf-19, the Caenorhabditis elegans homologue of human FBF1, in a whole-genome screen for ciliogenesis mutants. DYF-19 localizes specifically to transition fibres and interacts directly with the IFT-B component DYF-11/IFT54. Although not a structural component of transition fibres, DYF-19 is required for the transit of assembled IFT particles through the ciliary base. Furthermore, we found that human FBF1 shares conserved localization and function with its worm counterpart. We conclude that FBF1 is a key functional transition fibre component that actively facilitates the ciliary entry of assembled IFT machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Wei
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA
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48
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Hadziselimovic N, Vukojevic V, Peter F, Milnik A, Fastenrath M, Fenyves B, Hieber P, Demougin P, Vogler C, de Quervain DF, Papassotiropoulos A, Stetak A. Forgetting Is Regulated via Musashi-Mediated Translational Control of the Arp2/3 Complex. Cell 2014; 156:1153-1166. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.01.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2013] [Revised: 11/27/2013] [Accepted: 01/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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49
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Abstract
Screening for suppressor mutations is a powerful method to isolate genes that function in a common pathway or process. Because suppressor mutations often do not have phenotypes on their own, cloning of suppressor loci can be challenging. A method combining whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mapping (WGS/SNP mapping) was developed to identify mutations with visible phenotypes in C. elegans. We show here that WGS/SNP mapping is an efficient method to map suppressor mutations without the need for previous phenotypic characterization. Using RNA-mediated interference to test candidate loci identified by WGS/SNP mapping, we identified 10 extragenic and six intragenic suppressors of mbk-2, a DYRK family kinase required for the transition from oocyte to zygote. Remarkably, seven suppressors are mutations in cell-cycle regulators that extend the timing of the oocyte-to-zygote transition.
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50
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Sassa T, Murayama T, Maruyama IN. Strongly alkaline pH avoidance mediated by ASH sensory neurons in C. elegans. Neurosci Lett 2013; 555:248-52. [PMID: 23769685 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2013.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2013] [Revised: 05/31/2013] [Accepted: 06/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
High pH is a noxious stimulus to animals, and their ability to avoid dangerously alkaline pH is critical for survival. However, the means by which they sense high pH has not been determined. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) avoids environmental pH above 10.5. In contrast, C. elegans mutants with structurally, developmentally, and/or functionally abnormal sensory cilia fail to avoid high pH, suggesting that sensory neurons in the cilia participate in sensing. Genetic rescue of the mutants indicates that ASH polymodal sensory neurons play a vital role in the process. Consistently, specific laser ablation of ASH neurons made animals insensitive to high pH. Furthermore, avoidance assays of other mutants also indicated that transient receptor potential vanilloid type (TRPV) ion channels encoded by osm-9 and ocr-2 are involved in sensing. Indeed, genetic rescue of osm-9 mutants by specifically expressing OSM-9 in ASH showed that TRPV channels play an essential role in sensing of high pH. Ca(2+) imaging in vivo also revealed that ASH neurons were activated by high pH stimulation, but ASH of osm-9 or ocr-2 mutants were not. These results demonstrate that in C. elegans, high pH is sensed by ASH nociceptors through opening of OSM-9/OCR-2 TRPV channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshihiro Sassa
- Information Processing Biology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
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