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Wang Z, Wang S, Bi Y, Boiti A, Zhang S, Vallone D, Lan X, Foulkes NS, Zhao H. Light-regulated microRNAs shape dynamic gene expression in the zebrafish circadian clock. PLoS Genet 2025; 21:e1011545. [PMID: 39777894 PMCID: PMC11750094 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2024] [Revised: 01/21/2025] [Accepted: 12/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/11/2025] Open
Abstract
A key property of the circadian clock is that it is reset by light to remain synchronized with the day-night cycle. An attractive model to explore light input to the circadian clock in vertebrates is the zebrafish. Circadian clocks in zebrafish peripheral tissues and even zebrafish-derived cell lines are entrainable by direct light exposure thus providing unique insight into the function and evolution of light regulatory pathways. Our previous work has revealed that light-induced gene transcription is a key step in the entrainment of the circadian clock as well as enabling the more general adaptation of zebrafish cells to sunlight exposure. However, considerable evidence points to post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms, notably microRNAs (miRNAs), playing an essential role in shaping dynamic changes in mRNA levels. Therefore, does light directly impact the function of miRNAs? Are there light-regulated miRNAs and if so, which classes of mRNA do they target? To address these questions, we performed a complete sequencing analysis of light-induced changes in the zebrafish transcriptome, encompassing small non-coding RNAs as well as mRNAs. Importantly, we identified sets of light-regulated miRNAs, with many regulatory targets representing light-inducible mRNAs including circadian clock genes and genes involved in redox homeostasis. We subsequently focused on the light-responsive miR-204-3-3p and miR-430a-3p which are predicted to regulate the expression of cryptochrome genes (cry1a and cry1b). Luciferase reporter assays validated the target binding of miR-204-3-3p and miR-430a-3p to the 3'UTRs of cry1a and cry1b, respectively. Furthermore, treatment with mimics and inhibitors of these two miRNAs significantly affected the dynamic expression of their target genes but also other core clock components (clock1a, bmal1b, per1b, per2, per3), as well as the rhythmic locomotor activity of zebrafish larvae. Thus, our identification of light-responsive miRNAs reveals new intricacy in the multi-level regulation of the circadian clockwork by light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuo Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Shuang Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yi Bi
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems, Biological Information Processing (IBCS-BIP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Alessandra Boiti
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems, Biological Information Processing (IBCS-BIP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Shengxiang Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Daniela Vallone
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems, Biological Information Processing (IBCS-BIP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Xianyong Lan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Nicholas S. Foulkes
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems, Biological Information Processing (IBCS-BIP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Haiyu Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
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Lloyd E, Xia F, Moore K, Zertuche C, Rastogi A, Kozol R, Kenzior O, Warren W, Appelbaum L, Moran RL, Zhao C, Duboue E, Rohner N, Keene AC. Elevated DNA Damage without signs of aging in the short-sleeping Mexican Cavefish. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.18.590174. [PMID: 38659770 PMCID: PMC11042282 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.18.590174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Dysregulation of sleep has widespread health consequences and represents an enormous health burden. Short-sleeping individuals are predisposed to the effects of neurodegeneration, suggesting a critical role for sleep in the maintenance of neuronal health. While the effects of sleep on cellular function are not completely understood, growing evidence has identified an association between sleep loss and DNA damage, raising the possibility that sleep facilitates efficient DNA repair. The Mexican tetra fish, Astyanax mexicanus provides a model to investigate the evolutionary basis for changes in sleep and the consequences of sleep loss. Multiple cave-adapted populations of these fish have evolved to sleep for substantially less time compared to surface populations of the same species without identifiable impacts on healthspan or longevity. To investigate whether the evolved sleep loss is associated with DNA damage and cellular stress, we compared the DNA Damage Response (DDR) and oxidative stress levels between A. mexicanus populations. We measured markers of chronic sleep loss and discovered elevated levels of the DNA damage marker γH2AX in the brain, and increased oxidative stress in the gut of cavefish, consistent with chronic sleep deprivation. Notably, we found that acute UV-induced DNA damage elicited an increase in sleep in surface fish but not in cavefish. On a transcriptional level, only the surface fish activated the photoreactivation repair pathway following UV damage. These findings suggest a reduction of the DDR in cavefish compared to surface fish that coincides with elevated DNA damage in cavefish. To examine DDR pathways at a cellular level, we created an embryonic fibroblast cell line from the two populations of A. mexicanus. We observed that both the DDR and DNA repair were diminished in the cavefish cells, corroborating the in vivo findings and suggesting that the acute response to DNA damage is lost in cavefish. To investigate the long-term impact of these changes, we compared the transcriptome in the brain and gut of aged surface fish and cavefish. Strikingly, many genes that are differentially expressed between young and old surface fish do not transcriptionally vary by age in cavefish. Taken together, these findings suggest that cavefish have developed resilience to sleep loss, despite possessing cellular hallmarks of chronic sleep deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Lloyd
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840
| | - Fanning Xia
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110
| | - Kinsley Moore
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840
| | - Carolina Zertuche
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840
| | - Aakriti Rastogi
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840
| | - Rob Kozol
- Harriet Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Olga Kenzior
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110
| | - Wesley Warren
- Department of Genomics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - Lior Appelbaum
- Faculty of Life Science and the Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Illan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Rachel L Moran
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840
| | - Chongbei Zhao
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110
| | - Erik Duboue
- Harriet Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Nicolas Rohner
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110
| | - Alex C Keene
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840
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Di Rosa V, Frigato E, Negrini P, Cristiano W, López-Olmeda JF, Rétaux S, Sánchez-Vázquez FJ, Foulkes NS, Bertolucci C. Sporadic feeding regulates robust food entrainable circadian clocks in blind cavefish. iScience 2024; 27:110171. [PMID: 38974965 PMCID: PMC11225386 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 04/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The circadian clock represents a key timing system entrained by various periodic signals that ensure synchronization with the environment. Many investigations have pointed to the existence of two distinct circadian oscillators: one regulated by the light-dark cycle and the other set by feeding time. Blind cavefish have evolved under extreme conditions where they completely lack light exposure and experience food deprivation. Here, we have investigated feeding regulated clocks in two cavefish species, the Somalian cavefish Phreatichthys andruzzii and the Mexican cavefish Astyanax mexicanus, in comparison with the surface-dwelling zebrafish Danio rerio. Our results reveal that feeding represents an extremely strong synchronizer for circadian locomotor rhythmicity in subterranean cavefish. Indeed, we showed that consuming just one meal every 4 days is sufficient to entrain circadian rhythmicity in both cavefish species, but not in zebrafish. These profound adaptations to an extreme environment provide insight into the connections between feeding and circadian clocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Di Rosa
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Regional Campus of International Excellence “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Elena Frigato
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Pietro Negrini
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Walter Cristiano
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
- Ecosystems and Health Unit, Environment and Health Department, Italian National Institute of Health, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Jose Fernando López-Olmeda
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Regional Campus of International Excellence “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Sylvie Rétaux
- Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, CNRS and University Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
| | - Francisco Javier Sánchez-Vázquez
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Regional Campus of International Excellence “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Nicholas S. Foulkes
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems, Biological Information Processing (IBCS-BIP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Cristiano Bertolucci
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
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Rice MC, Little JH, Forrister DL, Machado J, Clark NL, Gagnon JA. Gadusol is a maternally provided sunscreen that protects fish embryos from DNA damage. Curr Biol 2023; 33:3229-3237.e4. [PMID: 37369210 PMCID: PMC10528378 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.06.012] [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: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is harmful to living cells, leading organisms to evolve protective mechanisms against UVR-induced cellular damage and stress.1,2 UVR, particularly UVB (280-320 nm), can damage proteins and DNA, leading to errors during DNA repair and replication. Excessive UVR can induce cellular death. Aquatic organisms face risk of UV exposure as biologically harmful levels of UVB can penetrate >10 m in clear water.3 While melanin is the only known sunscreen in vertebrates, it often emerges late in embryonic development, rendering embryos of many species vulnerable during the earlier stages. Algae and microbes produce a class of sunscreening compounds known as mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs).4 Fish eggs contain a similar compound called gadusol, whose role as a sunscreen has yet to be tested despite its discovery over 40 years ago.5 The recent finding that many vertebrate genomes contain a biosynthetic pathway for gadusol suggests that many fish may produce and use this molecule as a sunscreen.6 We generated a gadusol-deficient mutant zebrafish to investigate the role of gadusol in protecting fish embryos and larvae from UVR. Our results demonstrate that maternally provided gadusol is the primary sunscreen in embryonic and larval development, while melanin provides modest secondary protection. The gadusol biosynthetic pathway is retained in the vast majority of teleost genomes but is repeatedly lost in species whose young are no longer exposed to UVR. Our data demonstrate that gadusol is a maternally provided sunscreen that is critical for early-life survival in the most species-rich branch of the vertebrate phylogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlen C Rice
- School of Biological Sciences, 257 1400 E, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Jordan H Little
- Department of Human Genetics, 15 N 2030 E, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Dale L Forrister
- School of Biological Sciences, 257 1400 E, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Julane Machado
- School of Biological Sciences, 257 1400 E, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Nathan L Clark
- Department of Human Genetics, 15 N 2030 E, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - James A Gagnon
- School of Biological Sciences, 257 1400 E, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; Henry Eyring Center for Cell & Genome Science, 1390 Presidents Circle, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
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5
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Foulkes NS. Photobiology: Fish eggs go sunny side up. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R810-R812. [PMID: 37552947 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.06.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
The UV radiation in sunlight can damage organisms. A new study reveals that female zebrafish deposit a chemical sunscreen into their eggs to protect their developing embryos, a feat that has been lost in fish species whose embryos never experience sunlight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas S Foulkes
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems - Biological Information Processing (IBCS-BIP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Campus North, Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany; Centre for Organismal Studies (COS) Heidelberg, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
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6
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Wang Z, Li K, Xu Y, Song Z, Lan X, Pan C, Zhang S, Foulkes NS, Zhao H. Ferroptosis contributes to nickel-induced developmental neurotoxicity in zebrafish. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 858:160078. [PMID: 36372175 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Nickel (Ni) is a widely utilized heavy metal that can cause environmental pollution and health hazards. Its safety has attracted the attention of both the environmental ecology and public health fields. While the central nervous system (CNS) is one of the main targets of Ni, its neurotoxicity and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, by taking advantage of the zebrafish model for live imaging, genetic analysis and neurobehavioral studies, we reveal that the neurotoxic effects induced by exposure to environmentally relevant levels of Ni are closely related to ferroptosis, a newly-described form of iron-mediated cell death. In vivo two-photon imaging, neurobehavioral analysis and transcriptome sequencing consistently demonstrate that early neurodevelopment, neuroimmune function and vasculogenesis in zebrafish larvae are significantly affected by environmental Ni exposure. Importantly, exposure to various concentrations of Ni activates the ferroptosis pathway, as demonstrated by physiological/biochemical tests, as well as the expression of ferroptosis markers. Furthermore, pharmacological intervention of ferroptosis via deferoxamine (DFO), a classical iron chelating agent, strongly implicates iron dyshomeostasis and ferroptosis in these Ni-induced neurotoxic effects. Thus, this study elucidates the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying Ni neurotoxicity, with implications for our understanding of the physiologically damaging effects of other environmental heavy metal pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuo Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
| | - Kemin Li
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
| | - Yanyi Xu
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
| | - Zan Song
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
| | - Xianyong Lan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Chuanying Pan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Shengxiang Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
| | - Nicholas S Foulkes
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems, Biological Information Processing (IBCS-BIP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Haiyu Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China.
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Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway Is Strongly Implicated in Cadmium-Induced Developmental Neurotoxicity and Neuroinflammation: Clues from Zebrafish Neurobehavior and In Vivo Neuroimaging. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911434. [PMID: 36232737 PMCID: PMC9570071 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal and worldwide environmental pollutant which seriously threatens human health and ecosystems. It is easy to be adsorbed and deposited in organisms, exerting adverse effects on various organs including the brain. In a very recent study, making full use of a zebrafish model in both high-throughput behavioral tracking and live neuroimaging, we explored the potential developmental neurotoxicity of Cd2+ at environmentally relevant levels and identified multiple connections between Cd2+ exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders as well as microglia-mediated neuroinflammation, whereas the underlying neurotoxic mechanisms remained unclear. The canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays crucial roles in many biological processes including neurodevelopment, cell survival, and cell cycle regulation, as well as microglial activation, thereby potentially presenting one of the key targets of Cd2+ neurotoxicity. Therefore, in this follow-up study, we investigated the implication of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in Cd2+-induced developmental disorders and neuroinflammation and revealed that environmental Cd2+ exposure significantly affected the expression of key factors in the zebrafish Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In addition, pharmacological intervention of this pathway via TWS119, which can increase the protein level of β-catenin and act as a classical activator of the Wnt signaling pathway, could significantly repress the Cd2+-induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, thereby attenuating the inhibitory effects of Cd2+ on the early development, behavior, and activity, as well as neurodevelopment of zebrafish larvae to a certain degree. Furthermore, activation and proliferation of microglia, as well as the altered expression profiles of genes associated with neuroimmune homeostasis triggered by Cd2+ exposure could also be significantly alleviated by the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Thus, this study provided novel insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of Cd2+ toxicity on the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS), which might be helpful in developing pharmacotherapies to mitigate the neurological disorders resulting from exposure to Cd2+ and many other environmental heavy metals.
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Ahmad HI, Iqbal A, Ijaz N, Ullah MI, Asif AR, Rahman A, Mehmood T, Haider G, Ahmed S, Mahmoud SF, Alghamdi FO, Al Amari HA, Simirgiotis MJ, Chen J. Molecular Evolution of the Activating Transcription Factors Shapes the Adaptive Cellular Responses to Oxidative Stress. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2022; 2022:2153996. [PMID: 35873797 PMCID: PMC9300285 DOI: 10.1155/2022/2153996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an essential part in physiology of individual cell. ROS can cause damage to various biomolecules, including DNA. The systems that have developed to harness the impacts of ROS are antique evolutionary adaptations that are intricately linked to almost every aspect of cellular function. This research reveals the idea that during evolution, rather than being largely conserved, the molecular pathways reacting to oxidative stress have intrinsic flexibility. The coding sequences of the ATF2, ATF3, ATF4, and ATF6 genes were aligned to examine selection pressure on the genes, which were shown to be very highly conserved among vertebrate species. A total of 33 branches were explicitly evaluated for their capacity to diversify selection. After accounting for multiple testing, significance was determined using the likelihood ratio test with a threshold of p ≤ 0.05. Positive selection signs in these genes were detected across vertebrate lineages. In the selected test branches of our phylogeny, the synonymous rate variation revealed evidence (LRT, p value = 0.011 ≤ 0.05) of gene-wide episodic diversifying selection. As a result, there is evidence that diversifying selection occurred at least once on at least one test branch. These findings indicate that the activities of ROS-responsive systems are also theoretically flexible and may be altered by environmental selection pressure. By determining where the genes encoding these processes are "targeted" during evolution, we may better understand the mechanism of adaptation to oxidative stress during evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hafiz Ishfaq Ahmad
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Asia Iqbal
- Department of Wild Life and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Nabeel Ijaz
- Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Irfan Ullah
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan
| | - Akhtar Rasool Asif
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Jhang, Pakistan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Abdur Rahman
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Jhang, Pakistan
- Department of Animal Nutrition, Afyon Kocatepe University, Turkey
| | - Tahir Mehmood
- Centre for Applied Molecular Biology (CAMB), University of the Punjab, Lahore 53700, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Ghulam Haider
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Ravi Campus, Pattoki, Pakistan
| | - Shakeel Ahmed
- Instituto de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja, 5090000 Valdivia, Chile
| | - Samy F. Mahmoud
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fatimah Othman Alghamdi
- National Center for Biotechnology King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hala Abdulrahman Al Amari
- National Center for Biotechnology King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mario Juan Simirgiotis
- Instituto de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja, 5090000 Valdivia, Chile
| | - Jinping Chen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong, Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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9
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Huang J, Zhong Y, Makohon-Moore AP, White T, Jasin M, Norell MA, Wheeler WC, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA. Evidence for reduced BRCA2 functional activity in Homo sapiens after divergence from the chimpanzee-human last common ancestor. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110771. [PMID: 35508134 PMCID: PMC11740715 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110771] [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: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
We performed a comparative analysis of human and 12 non-human primates to identify sequence variations in known cancer genes. We identified 395 human-specific fixed non-silent substitutions that emerged during evolution of human. Using bioinformatics analyses for functional consequences, we identified a number of substitutions that are predicted to alter protein function; one of these mutations is located at the most evolutionarily conserved domain of human BRCA2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinlong Huang
- Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Yi Zhong
- Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Alvin P Makohon-Moore
- Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Travis White
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Maria Jasin
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Mark A Norell
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Ward C Wheeler
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Christine A Iacobuzio-Donahue
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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10
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Xu Y, Zhao H, Wang Z, Gao H, Liu J, Li K, Song Z, Yuan C, Lan X, Pan C, Zhang S. Developmental exposure to environmental levels of cadmium induces neurotoxicity and activates microglia in zebrafish larvae: From the perspectives of neurobehavior and neuroimaging. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 291:132802. [PMID: 34752834 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) is a worldwide environmental pollutant that postures serious threats to humans and ecosystems. Over the years, its adverse effects on the central nervous system (CNS) have been concerned, whereas the underlying cellular/molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, taking advantages of zebrafish model in high-throughput imaging and behavioral tests, we have explored the potential developmental neurotoxicity of Cd at environmentally relevant levels, from the perspectives of neurobehavior and neuroimaging. Briefly, Cd2+ exposure resulted in a general impairment of zebrafish early development. Zebrafish neurobehavioral patterns including locomotion and reactivity to environmental signals were significantly perturbed upon Cd2+ exposure. Importantly, a combination of in vivo two-photon neuroimaging, flow cytometry and gene expression analyses revealed notable neurodevelopmental disorders as well as neuroimmune responses induced by Cd2+ exposure. Both cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis contributed jointly to a significant decrease of neuronal density in zebrafish larvae exposed to Cd2+. The dramatic morphological alterations of microglia from multi-branched to amoeboid, the microgliosis, as well as the modulation of gene expression profiles demonstrated a strong activation of microglia and neuroinflammation triggered by environmental levels of Cd2+. Together, our study points to the developmental toxicity of Cd in inducing CNS impairment and neuroinflammation thereby providing visualized etiological evidence of this heavy metal induced neurodevelopmental disorders. It's tempting to speculate that this research model might represent a promising tool not only for understanding the molecular mechanisms of Cd-induced neurotoxicity, but also for developing pharmacotherapies to mitigate the neurological damage resulting from exposure to Cd, and other neurotoxicants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyi Xu
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu Province, China
| | - Haiyu Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu Province, China.
| | - Zuo Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu Province, China
| | - Hao Gao
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu Province, China
| | - Junru Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu Province, China
| | - Kemin Li
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu Province, China
| | - Zan Song
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu Province, China
| | - Cong Yuan
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu Province, China
| | - Xianyong Lan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Chuanying Pan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Shengxiang Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu Province, China.
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11
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Species variations in XRCC1 recruitment strategies for FHA domain-containing proteins. DNA Repair (Amst) 2022; 110:103263. [PMID: 35026705 PMCID: PMC9282668 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2021.103263] [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: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
DNA repair scaffolds XRCC1 and XRCC4 utilize a phosphopeptide FHA domain binding motif (FBM) of the form Y-x-x-pS-pT-D-E that supports recruitment of three identified FHA domain-containing DNA repair proteins: polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase (PNKP), aprataxin (APTX), and a third protein, APLF, that functions as a scaffold in support of non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). Mammalian dimeric XRCC4 is able to interact with two of these proteins at any given time, while monomeric XRCC1 binds only one. However, sequence analysis indicates that amphibian and teleost XRCC1 generally contain two FHA binding motifs. X1-FBM1, is similar to the single mammalian XRCC1 FBM and probably functions similarly. X1-FBM2, is more similar to mammalian XRCC4 FBM; it is located closer to the XRCC1 BRCT1 domain and probably is less discriminating among its three likely binding partners. Availability of an additional PNKP or APTX recruitment motif may alleviate the bottleneck that results from using a single FBM motif for recruitment of multiple repair factors. Alternatively, recruitment of APLF by X1-FBM2 may function to rescue a misdirected or unsuccessful SSB repair response by redirecting the damaged DNA to the NHEJ pathway, - a need that results from the ambiguity of the PARP1 signal regarding the nature of the damage. Evaluation of XRCC4 FBMs in acanthomorphs, which account for a majority of the reported teleost sequences, reveals the presence of an additional XRCC4-like paralog, distinct from other previously described members of the XRCC4 superfamily. The FBM is typically absent in acanthomorph XRCC4, but present in the XRCC4-like paralog. Modeling suggests that XRCC4 and its paralog may form homodimers or XRCC4-XRCC4-like heterodimers.
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12
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Wang Z, Zhao H, Xu Y, Zhao J, Song Z, Bi Y, Li Y, Lan X, Pan C, Foulkes NS, Zhang S. Early-life lead exposure induces long-term toxicity in the central nervous system: From zebrafish larvae to juveniles and adults. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 804:150185. [PMID: 34509844 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Lead induced neurotoxicity has been extensively investigated. However, the potential connections between early-life lead exposure and the frequently observed aberrant neurobehavior in juveniles and adults remain unclear. In this study, zebrafish model was used to explore the immediate and long-term effects of early-life exposure to environmental levels of lead on the central nervous system, and the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the consequent abnormal neurobehavior. Lead exposed zebrafish larvae exhibited neurologic damage and defective neurobehavior. Consistent with clinical studies, despite being raised in lead-free conditions, the juvenile and adult fish experienced lead exposure earlier, presented ADHD-like symptoms, and the adult fish exhibited remarkably affected vitality and shoaling behavior. Their anxiety levels were elevated, whereas their social interaction, as well as learning and memory were strongly depressed. The expression profiles of key genes involved in neurodevelopment and neurotransmitter systems were significantly modulated, in similar patterns as in the larval stage. Notably, the density of neurons was decreased and varicosities in neuronal axons were frequently observed in the lead-exposed groups. It's tempting to speculate that the disruption of early neurodevelopment as well as the prolonged modulation of neuromorphic and neurotransmitter systems contribute to the lead-induced neurobehavioral disorders observed in juveniles and adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuo Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
| | - Haiyu Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China.
| | - Yanyi Xu
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
| | - Jianing Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Zan Song
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
| | - Yi Bi
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Yang Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Xianyong Lan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Chuanying Pan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Shaanxi Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Nicholas S Foulkes
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems, Biological Information Processing (IBCS-BIP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Shengxiang Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, Lanzhou University, No. 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
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13
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Shen J, Xu Y, Wang Z, Chen W, Zhao H, Liu X. Facile and green synthesis of carbon nanodots from environmental pollutants for cell imaging and Fe 3+ detection. NEW J CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d2nj02236b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
An economical and green approach has been provided to turn environmental pollutants into carbon nanodots for their potential applications in both bioimaging and Fe3+ detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jialu Shen
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, 730000 Lanzhou, Gansu, China
- College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Inorganic Nonmetallic Crystalline and Energy Conversion Materials, China Three Gorges University, 443002 Yichang, Hubei, China
- Key Laboratory of Leather Chemistry and Engineering of Ministry of Education, National Engineering Laboratory for Clean Technology of Leather Manufacture, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Yanyi Xu
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, 730000 Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Zuo Wang
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, 730000 Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Weifeng Chen
- College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Inorganic Nonmetallic Crystalline and Energy Conversion Materials, China Three Gorges University, 443002 Yichang, Hubei, China
| | - Haiyu Zhao
- Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, 730000 Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Xiang Liu
- College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Inorganic Nonmetallic Crystalline and Energy Conversion Materials, China Three Gorges University, 443002 Yichang, Hubei, China
- Hubei Three Gorges Laboratory, 443007 Yichang, Hubei, China
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14
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Barth E, Srivastava A, Wengerodt D, Stojiljkovic M, Axer H, Witte OW, Kretz A, Marz M. Age-dependent expression changes of circadian system-related genes reveal a potentially conserved link to aging. Aging (Albany NY) 2021; 13:25694-25716. [PMID: 34923482 PMCID: PMC8751596 DOI: 10.18632/aging.203788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The circadian clock system influences the biology of life by establishing circadian rhythms in organisms, tissues, and cells, thus regulating essential biological processes based on the day/night cycle. Circadian rhythms change over a lifetime due to maturation and aging, and disturbances in the control of the circadian system are associated with several age-related pathologies. However, the impact of chronobiology and the circadian system on healthy organ and tissue aging remains largely unknown. Whether aging-related changes of the circadian system’s regulation follow a conserved pattern across different species and tissues, hence representing a common driving force of aging, is unclear. Based on a cross-sectional transcriptome analysis covering 329 RNA-Seq libraries, we provide indications that the circadian system is subjected to aging-related gene alterations shared between evolutionarily distinct species, such as Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, Danio rerio, and Nothobranchius furzeri. We discovered differentially expressed genes by comparing tissue-specific transcriptional profiles of mature, aged, and old-age individuals and report on six genes (per2, dec2, cirp, klf10, nfil3, and dbp) of the circadian system, which show conserved aging-related expression patterns in four organs of the species examined. Our results illustrate how the circadian system and aging might influence each other in various tissues over a long lifespan and conceptually complement previous studies tracking short-term diurnal and nocturnal gene expression oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuel Barth
- Bioinformatics/High Throughput Analysis, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Akash Srivastava
- Bioinformatics/High Throughput Analysis, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.,FLI Leibniz Institute for Age Research, Jena, Germany.,Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Diane Wengerodt
- Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Milan Stojiljkovic
- Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Hubertus Axer
- Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Otto W Witte
- Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Alexandra Kretz
- Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Manja Marz
- Bioinformatics/High Throughput Analysis, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.,FLI Leibniz Institute for Age Research, Jena, Germany.,German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany.,European Virus Bioinformatics Center (EVBC), Jena, Germany
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15
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Gornik SG, Bergheim BG, Morel B, Stamatakis A, Foulkes NS, Guse A. Photoreceptor Diversification Accompanies the Evolution of Anthozoa. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:1744-1760. [PMID: 33226083 PMCID: PMC8097283 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthozoan corals are an ecologically important group of cnidarians, which power the productivity of reef ecosystems. They are sessile, inhabit shallow, tropical oceans and are highly dependent on sun- and moonlight to regulate sexual reproduction, phototaxis, and photosymbiosis. However, their exposure to high levels of sunlight also imposes an increased risk of UV-induced DNA damage. How have these challenging photic environments influenced photoreceptor evolution and function in these animals? To address this question, we initially screened the cnidarian photoreceptor repertoire for Anthozoa-specific signatures by a broad-scale evolutionary analysis. We compared transcriptomic data of more than 36 cnidarian species and revealed a more diverse photoreceptor repertoire in the anthozoan subphylum than in the subphylum Medusozoa. We classified the three principle opsin classes into distinct subtypes and showed that Anthozoa retained all three classes, which diversified into at least six subtypes. In contrast, in Medusozoa, only one class with a single subtype persists. Similarly, in Anthozoa, we documented three photolyase classes and two cryptochrome (CRY) classes, whereas CRYs are entirely absent in Medusozoa. Interestingly, we also identified one anthozoan CRY class, which exhibited unique tandem duplications of the core functional domains. We next explored the functionality of anthozoan photoreceptors in the model species Exaiptasia diaphana (Aiptasia), which recapitulates key photo-behaviors of corals. We show that the diverse opsin genes are differentially expressed in important life stages common to reef-building corals and Aiptasia and that CRY expression is light regulated. We thereby provide important clues linking coral evolution with photoreceptor diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian G Gornik
- Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Benoit Morel
- Computational Molecular Evolution Group, Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Alexandros Stamatakis
- Computational Molecular Evolution Group, Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Heidelberg, Germany.,Institute for Theoretical Informatics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Nicholas S Foulkes
- Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.,Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Annika Guse
- Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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16
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Mack KL, Jaggard JB, Persons JL, Roback EY, Passow CN, Stanhope BA, Ferrufino E, Tsuchiya D, Smith SE, Slaughter BD, Kowalko J, Rohner N, Keene AC, McGaugh SE. Repeated evolution of circadian clock dysregulation in cavefish populations. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009642. [PMID: 34252077 PMCID: PMC8297936 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Circadian rhythms are nearly ubiquitous throughout nature, suggesting they are critical for survival in diverse environments. Organisms inhabiting largely arrhythmic environments, such as caves, offer a unique opportunity to study the evolution of circadian rhythms in response to changing ecological pressures. Populations of the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus, have repeatedly invaded caves from surface rivers, where individuals must contend with perpetual darkness, reduced food availability, and limited fluctuations in daily environmental cues. To investigate the molecular basis for evolved changes in circadian rhythms, we investigated rhythmic transcription across multiple independently-evolved cavefish populations. Our findings reveal that evolution in a cave environment has led to the repeated disruption of the endogenous biological clock, and its entrainment by light. The circadian transcriptome shows widespread reductions and losses of rhythmic transcription and changes to the timing of the activation/repression of core-transcriptional clock. In addition to dysregulation of the core clock, we find that rhythmic transcription of the melatonin regulator aanat2 and melatonin rhythms are disrupted in cavefish under darkness. Mutants of aanat2 and core clock gene rorca disrupt diurnal regulation of sleep in A. mexicanus, phenocopying circadian modulation of sleep and activity phenotypes of cave populations. Together, these findings reveal multiple independent mechanisms for loss of circadian rhythms in cavefish populations and provide a platform for studying how evolved changes in the biological clock can contribute to variation in sleep and circadian behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katya L. Mack
- Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - James B. Jaggard
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
- Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Jenna L. Persons
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Emma Y. Roback
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Courtney N. Passow
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Bethany A. Stanhope
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
| | - Estephany Ferrufino
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
| | - Dai Tsuchiya
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Sarah E. Smith
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Brian D. Slaughter
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Johanna Kowalko
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
| | - Nicolas Rohner
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Alex C. Keene
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
| | - Suzanne E. McGaugh
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
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17
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Policarpo M, Fumey J, Lafargeas P, Naquin D, Thermes C, Naville M, Dechaud C, Volff JN, Cabau C, Klopp C, Møller PR, Bernatchez L, García-Machado E, Rétaux S, Casane D. Contrasting Gene Decay in Subterranean Vertebrates: Insights from Cavefishes and Fossorial Mammals. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:589-605. [PMID: 32986833 PMCID: PMC7826195 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolution sometimes proceeds by loss, especially when structures and genes become dispensable after an environmental shift relaxes functional constraints. Subterranean vertebrates are outstanding models to analyze this process, and gene decay can serve as a readout. We sought to understand some general principles on the extent and tempo of the decay of genes involved in vision, circadian clock, and pigmentation in cavefishes. The analysis of the genomes of two Cuban species belonging to the genus Lucifuga provided evidence for the largest loss of eye-specific genes and nonvisual opsin genes reported so far in cavefishes. Comparisons with a recently evolved cave population of Astyanax mexicanus and three species belonging to the Chinese tetraploid genus Sinocyclocheilus revealed the combined effects of the level of eye regression, time, and genome ploidy on eye-specific gene pseudogenization. The limited extent of gene decay in all these cavefishes and the very small number of loss-of-function mutations per pseudogene suggest that their eye degeneration may not be very ancient, ranging from early to late Pleistocene. This is in sharp contrast with the identification of several vision genes carrying many loss-of-function mutations in ancient fossorial mammals, further suggesting that blind fishes cannot thrive more than a few million years in cave ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Policarpo
- CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Julien Fumey
- CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Philippe Lafargeas
- CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Delphine Naquin
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Claude Thermes
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Magali Naville
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5242, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Corentin Dechaud
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5242, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Jean-Nicolas Volff
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5242, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Cedric Cabau
- SIGENAE, GenPhySE, INRAE, ENVT, Université de Toulouse, Castanet Tolosan, France
| | - Christophe Klopp
- INRAE, SIGENAE, Genotoul Bioinfo, MIAT UR875, Castanet Tolosan, France
| | - Peter Rask Møller
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Louis Bernatchez
- Department of Biology, Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Erik García-Machado
- Department of Biology, Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada.,Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, Universidad de La Habana, La Habana, Cuba
| | - Sylvie Rétaux
- CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Didier Casane
- CNRS, IRD, UMR Évolution, Génomes, Comportement et Écologie, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,UFR Sciences du Vivant, Université de Paris, Paris, France
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18
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Canedo A, Rocha TL. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) using as model for genotoxicity and DNA repair assessments: Historical review, current status and trends. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 762:144084. [PMID: 33383303 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Genotoxic pollutants lead to both DNA damage and changes in cell repair mechanisms. Selecting suitable biomonitors is a fundamental step in genotoxicity studies. Thus, zebrafish have become a popular model used to assess the genotoxicity of different pollutants in recent years. They have orthologous genes with humans and hold almost all genes involved in different repair pathways. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to summarize the existing literature on zebrafish using as model system to assess the genotoxicity of different pollutants. Revised data have shown that comet assay is the main technique adopted in these studies. However, it is necessary standardizing the technique applied to zebrafish in order to enable better result interpretation and comparisons. Overall, pollutants lead to single-strand breaks (SSB), double-strand breaks (DSB), adduct formation, as well as to changes in the expression of genes involved in repair mechanisms. Although analyzing repair mechanisms is essential to better understand the genotoxic effects caused by pollutants, few studies have analyzed repair capacity. The current review reinforces the need of conducting further studies on the role played by repair pathways in zebrafish subjected to DNA damage. Revised data have shown that zebrafish are a suitable model to assess pollutant-induced genotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aryelle Canedo
- Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiania, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Thiago Lopes Rocha
- Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiania, Goiás, Brazil..
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19
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Schalm G, Bruns K, Drachenberg N, Geyer N, Foulkes NS, Bertolucci C, Gerlach G. Finding Nemo's clock reveals switch from nocturnal to diurnal activity. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6801. [PMID: 33762724 PMCID: PMC7990958 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86244-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Timing mechanisms play a key role in the biology of coral reef fish. Typically, fish larvae leave their reef after hatching, stay for a period in the open ocean before returning to the reef for settlement. During this dispersal, larvae use a time-compensated sun compass for orientation. However, the timing of settlement and how coral reef fish keep track of time via endogenous timing mechanisms is poorly understood. Here, we have studied the behavioural and genetic basis of diel rhythms in the clown anemonefish Amphiprion ocellaris. We document a behavioural shift from nocturnal larvae to diurnal adults, while juveniles show an intermediate pattern of activity which potentially indicates flexibility in the timing of settlement on a host anemone. qRTPCR analysis of six core circadian clock genes (bmal1, clocka, cry1b, per1b, per2, per3) reveals rhythmic gene expression patterns that are comparable in larvae and juveniles, and so do not reflect the corresponding activity changes. By establishing an embryonic cell line, we demonstrate that clown anemonefish possess an endogenous clock with similar properties to that of the zebrafish circadian clock. Furthermore, our study provides a first basis to study the multi-layered interaction of clocks from fish, anemones and their zooxanthellae endosymbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregor Schalm
- Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Ammerländer Heerstr. 114-118, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.
| | - Kristina Bruns
- Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Ammerländer Heerstr. 114-118, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Nina Drachenberg
- Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Ammerländer Heerstr. 114-118, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Nathalie Geyer
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems (IBCS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Nicholas S Foulkes
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems (IBCS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Cristiano Bertolucci
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
- Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Napoli, Villa Comunale, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Gabriele Gerlach
- Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Ammerländer Heerstr. 114-118, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB), Ammerländer Heerstr. 231, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany
- Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
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20
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Regulation of ddb2 expression in blind cavefish and zebrafish reveals plasticity in the control of sunlight-induced DNA damage repair. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009356. [PMID: 33544716 PMCID: PMC7891740 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We have gained considerable insight into the mechanisms which recognize and repair DNA damage, but how they adapt to extreme environmental challenges remains poorly understood. Cavefish have proven to be fascinating models for exploring the evolution of DNA repair in the complete absence of UV-induced DNA damage and light. We have previously revealed that the Somalian cavefish Phreatichthys andruzzii, lacks photoreactivation repair via the loss of light, UV and ROS-induced photolyase gene transcription mediated by D-box enhancer elements. Here, we explore whether other systems repairing UV-induced DNA damage have been similarly affected in this cavefish model. By performing a comparative study using P. andruzzii and the surface-dwelling zebrafish, we provide evidence for a conservation of sunlight-regulated Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER). Specifically, the expression of the ddb2 gene which encodes a key NER recognition factor is robustly induced following exposure to light, UV and oxidative stress in both species. As in the case of the photolyase genes, D-boxes in the ddb2 promoter are sufficient to induce transcription in zebrafish. Interestingly, despite the loss of D-box-regulated photolyase gene expression in P. andruzzii, the D-box is required for ddb2 induction by visible light and oxidative stress in cavefish. However, in the cavefish ddb2 gene this D-box-mediated induction requires cooperation with an adjacent, highly conserved E2F element. Furthermore, while in zebrafish UV-induced ddb2 expression results from transcriptional activation accompanied by stabilization of the ddb2 mRNA, in P. andruzzii UV induces ddb2 expression exclusively via an increase in mRNA stability. Thus, we reveal plasticity in the transcriptional and post transcriptional mechanisms regulating the repair of sunlight-induced DNA damage under long-term environmental challenges.
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21
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Aardema ML, Stiassny MLJ, Alter SE. Genomic Analysis of the Only Blind Cichlid Reveals Extensive Inactivation in Eye and Pigment Formation Genes. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 12:1392-1406. [PMID: 32653909 PMCID: PMC7502198 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Trait loss represents an intriguing evolutionary problem, particularly when it occurs across independent lineages. Fishes in light-poor environments often evolve “troglomorphic” traits, including reduction or loss of both pigment and eyes. Here, we investigate the genomic basis of trait loss in a blind and depigmented African cichlid, Lamprologus lethops, and explore evolutionary forces (selection and drift) that may have contributed to these losses. This species, the only known blind cichlid, is endemic to the lower Congo River. Available evidence suggests that it inhabits deep, low-light habitats. Using genome sequencing, we show that genes related to eye formation and pigmentation, as well as other traits associated with troglomorphism, accumulated inactivating mutations rapidly after speciation. A number of the genes affected in L. lethops are also implicated in troglomorphic phenotypes in Mexican cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus) and other species. Analysis of heterozygosity patterns across the genome indicates that L. lethops underwent a significant population bottleneck roughly 1 Ma, after which effective population sizes remained low. Branch-length tests on a subset of genes with inactivating mutations show little evidence of directional selection; however, low overall heterozygosity may reduce statistical power to detect such signals. Overall, genome-wide patterns suggest that accelerated genetic drift from a severe bottleneck, perhaps aided by directional selection for the loss of physiologically expensive traits, caused inactivating mutations to fix rapidly in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew L Aardema
- Department of Biology, Montclair State University.,Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York
| | - Melanie L J Stiassny
- Department of Ichthyology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York
| | - S Elizabeth Alter
- Department of Ichthyology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York.,The Graduate Center, City University of New York.,Department of Biology, York College/The City University of New York
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22
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Guarino AM, Mauro GD, Ruggiero G, Geyer N, Delicato A, Foulkes NS, Vallone D, Calabrò V. YB-1 recruitment to stress granules in zebrafish cells reveals a differential adaptive response to stress. Sci Rep 2019; 9:9059. [PMID: 31227764 PMCID: PMC6588705 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45468-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The survival of cells exposed to adverse environmental conditions entails various alterations in cellular function including major changes in the transcriptome as well as a radical reprogramming of protein translation. While in mammals this process has been extensively studied, stress responses in non-mammalian vertebrates remain poorly understood. One of the key cellular responses to many different types of stressors is the transient generation of structures called stress granules (SGs). These represent cytoplasmic foci where untranslated mRNAs are sorted or processed for re-initiation, degradation, or packaging into mRNPs. Here, using the evolutionarily conserved Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) and G3BP1 as markers, we have studied the formation of stress granules in zebrafish (D. rerio) in response to different environmental stressors. We show that following heat shock, zebrafish cells, like mammalian cells, form stress granules which contain both YB-1 and G3BP1 proteins. Moreover, zfYB-1 knockdown compromises cell viability, as well as recruitment of G3BP1 into SGs, under heat shock conditions highlighting the essential role played by YB-1 in SG assembly and cell survival. However, zebrafish PAC2 cells do not assemble YB-1-positive stress granules upon oxidative stress induced by arsenite, copper or hydrogen peroxide treatment. This contrasts with the situation in human cells where SG formation is robustly induced by exposure to oxidative stressors. Thus, our findings point to fundamental differences in the mechanisms whereby mammalian and zebrafish cells respond to oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Maria Guarino
- University of Naples Federico II, Department of Biology, Monte Sant'Angelo Campus, Via Cinthia 4, Naples, 80126, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Di Mauro
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.,University of Ferrara, Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Via Borsari 46, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Gennaro Ruggiero
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Nathalie Geyer
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Antonella Delicato
- University of Naples Federico II, Department of Biology, Monte Sant'Angelo Campus, Via Cinthia 4, Naples, 80126, Italy
| | - Nicholas S Foulkes
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Daniela Vallone
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
| | - Viola Calabrò
- University of Naples Federico II, Department of Biology, Monte Sant'Angelo Campus, Via Cinthia 4, Naples, 80126, Italy.
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Evolution Shapes the Gene Expression Response to Oxidative Stress. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20123040. [PMID: 31234431 PMCID: PMC6627103 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20123040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a key role in cell physiology and function. ROS represents a potential source of damage for many macromolecules including DNA. It is thought that daily changes in oxidative stress levels were an important early factor driving evolution of the circadian clock which enables organisms to predict changes in ROS levels before they actually occur and thereby optimally coordinate survival strategies. It is clear that ROS, at relatively low levels, can serve as an important signaling molecule and also serves as a key regulator of gene expression. Therefore, the mechanisms that have evolved to survive or harness these effects of ROS are ancient evolutionary adaptations that are tightly interconnected with most aspects of cellular physiology. Our understanding of these mechanisms has been mainly based on studies using a relatively small group of genetic models. However, we know comparatively little about how these mechanisms are conserved or have adapted during evolution under different environmental conditions. In this review, we describe recent work that has revealed significant species-specific differences in the gene expression response to ROS by exploring diverse organisms. This evidence supports the notion that during evolution, rather than being highly conserved, there is inherent plasticity in the molecular mechanisms responding to oxidative stress.
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Abstract
The cavefish Phreatichthys andruzzii has lost the capacity to perform light-mediated DNA repair. This finding provides further support for the 'nocturnal bottleneck' hypothesis which posits that many key mammalian traits originated from adaptations linked to the nocturnal lifestyle of our early evolutionary ancestors.
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