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Wen Z, Yan S, Amujilata, Feng J, Chen C, Xu Y, Lu M, Xu L, Song X, Li X, Yan R. Characterization of the trehalase function of Haemonchus contortus and its immunomodulatory effect on host PBMCs. Int J Biol Macromol 2025; 309:143102. [PMID: 40222538 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.143102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2025] [Accepted: 04/10/2025] [Indexed: 04/15/2025]
Abstract
Trehalase can hydrolyze trehalose and is the first key enzyme in the chitin synthesis pathway of arthropods. However, little is known about the function of trehalase in Haemonchus contortus (HcTre). In this study, the purified recombinant HcTre protein (rHcTre) was obtained by prokaryotic expression technology, and it was proved that rHcTre protein has trehalase activity. Western blot results verified that HcTre protein belongs to the excretory/secretory proteins of H. contortus, and rHcTre protein can be recognized by goat serum infected with H. contortus. Moreover, Western blot results demonstrated the expression of the HcTre gene in various developmental stages of H. contortus, with the highest level observed during the egg stage. Meanwhile, the immunofluorescence results revealed a widespread distribution of HcTre protein in adult worms. Interestingly, we found that rat serum against rHcTre protein inhibited the development of larvae by blocking the activity of trehalase. Furthermore, the results showed that rHcTre protein significantly inhibited the proliferation and promoted the apoptosis of goat PBMCs in a dose-dependent manner. This study is expected to further understand the immune escape mechanism of H. contortus and provide new drug targets and vaccine candidate molecules for the prevention and control of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaohai Wen
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, PR China; MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China
| | - Shuping Yan
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, PR China; MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China
| | - Amujilata
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China
| | - Jiajun Feng
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China
| | - Cheng Chen
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China
| | - Yongde Xu
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China
| | - Mingmin Lu
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China
| | - Lixin Xu
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China
| | - Xiaokai Song
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China
| | - Xiangrui Li
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China
| | - Ruofeng Yan
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China.
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2
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Shao H, Li Q, Chen J, Hu W, Zou Y, Liu H, Wang J, Bai L, Hu J. Regulatory role of the Bxy-gld-1 in meiosis and oocyte development of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2025. [PMID: 40271714 DOI: 10.1002/ps.8846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2025] [Accepted: 04/05/2025] [Indexed: 04/25/2025]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Investigating the cell fate of the germline in Bursaphelenchus xylophilus can reveal the biological characteristics of its reproductive processes, which is crucial for formulating more targeted control strategies against pine wilt disease. However, the molecular regulatory mechanisms governing cell fate in the germline of B. xylophilus remain unclear. RESULTS In this study, we performed functional validation of the Bxy-gld-1 gene in B. xylophilus through bioinformatics analysis, in situ hybridization, and RNA interference (RNAi) combined with DAPI staining techniques. Bioinformatics research indicates that the Bxy-gld-1 gene is highly similar to the gld-1 gene in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. In situ hybridization results demonstrate that the Bxy-gld-1 gene is expressed in the gonadal regions of nematodes at all developmental stages. RNAi results show that silencing the Bxy-gld-1 gene delays the transition of germline cells from mitosis to meiosis in B. xylophilus and can cause abnormal oocyte development in female nematodes, leading to the occurrence of small oocytes. Additionally, lifespan assays revealed that the longevity of virgin female and male nematodes in the RNAi-treated group was significantly reduced. CONCLUSIONS This study identifies the Bxy-gld-1 gene as a key regulator of germline cell fate in B. xylophilus, advancing our understanding of its reproductive mechanisms and providing a basis for targeted therapeutic development. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hudie Shao
- College of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Quan Li
- College of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jing Chen
- College of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wenxin Hu
- College of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuxin Zou
- College of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hengliang Liu
- College of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jinghan Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Huzhou University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Liqun Bai
- College of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jiafu Hu
- College of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, China
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3
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Kuratani Y, Matsumoto A, Shigenaga A, Miyahara K, Ekino K, Saigusa N, Ohta H, Iwata M, Ando S. Cylindracin, a Fruiting Body-Specific Protein of Cyclocybe cylindracea, Represses the Egg-Laying and Development of Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster. Toxins (Basel) 2025; 17:118. [PMID: 40137891 PMCID: PMC11946224 DOI: 10.3390/toxins17030118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2025] [Revised: 02/21/2025] [Accepted: 02/25/2025] [Indexed: 03/29/2025] Open
Abstract
Mushrooms are a valuable source of bioactive compounds to develop efficient, secure medicines and environmentally friendly agrochemicals. Cylindracin is a small cysteine-rich protein that is specifically expressed in the immature fruiting body of the edible mushroom Cyclocybe cylindracea. Recombinant protein (rCYL), comprising the C-terminal cysteine-rich domain of cylindracin, inhibits the hyphal growth and conidiogenesis of filamentous fungi. Here, we show that rCYL represses the egg-laying and development of Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster. The feeding of rCYL at 16 µM reduced the body volume of C. elegans larvae to approximately 60% when compared to the control. At the same concentration, rCYL repressed the frequencies of pupation and emergence of D. melanogaster to 74% and 40%, respectively, when compared to the control. In virgin adult flies, feeding of rCYL at 47 µM substantially repressed the frequency of egg-laying, and the pupation and emergence of the next generation, especially for females. These inhibitory effects of rCYL gradually disappeared after ceasing the ingestion of rCYL. The use of fluorescence-labeled rCYL revealed that the protein accumulates specifically at the pharynx cuticles of C. elegans. In D. melanogaster, fluorescence-labeled rCYL was detected primarily in the midguts and to a lesser degree in the hindguts, ovaries, testes, and malpighian tubules. rCYL was stable against trypsin, chymotrypsin, and pepsin, whereas it did not inhibit proteolytic and glycolytic enzymes in vitro. rCYL oligomerized and formed amyloid-like aggregates through the binding to heparin and heparan sulfate in vitro. These results suggest that rCYL has potential as a new biocontrol agent against pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yamato Kuratani
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Life Science, Sojo University, 4-22-1 Ikeda, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan; (Y.K.); (K.M.); (K.E.); (N.S.); (H.O.)
| | - Akira Matsumoto
- Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University, 1-1 Hiraka Gakuendai, Inzai 270-1606, Japan;
| | - Ayako Shigenaga
- Institute of Health and Sports Science & Medicine, Graduate School of Health and Sports Science, Juntendo University, 1-1 Hiraka Gakuendai, Inzai 270-1695, Japan;
| | - Koji Miyahara
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Life Science, Sojo University, 4-22-1 Ikeda, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan; (Y.K.); (K.M.); (K.E.); (N.S.); (H.O.)
| | - Keisuke Ekino
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Life Science, Sojo University, 4-22-1 Ikeda, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan; (Y.K.); (K.M.); (K.E.); (N.S.); (H.O.)
| | - Noriaki Saigusa
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Life Science, Sojo University, 4-22-1 Ikeda, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan; (Y.K.); (K.M.); (K.E.); (N.S.); (H.O.)
| | - Hiroto Ohta
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Life Science, Sojo University, 4-22-1 Ikeda, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan; (Y.K.); (K.M.); (K.E.); (N.S.); (H.O.)
| | - Makoto Iwata
- IMB Co., Ltd., 1070-10 Hitotsugi, Asakura 838-0065, Japan;
| | - Shoji Ando
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Life Science, Sojo University, 4-22-1 Ikeda, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan; (Y.K.); (K.M.); (K.E.); (N.S.); (H.O.)
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Jaramillo-Lambert A, Krauchunas AR. Activating the C. elegans egg: Molecular players, current knowledge, and unanswered questions. Curr Top Dev Biol 2025; 162:115-141. [PMID: 40180507 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2025.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2025]
Abstract
Egg activation is a global cellular change that, in combination with fertilization, transitions the differentiated, developmentally quiescent oocyte into a totipotent, developmentally active one-cell embryo. In C. elegans, key regulators of egg activation include egg-3, egg-4, egg-5, chs-1, and spe-11. Here we will review our current understanding of how these molecules, and others, ensure the robust activation of the egg by controlling meiosis, formation of the eggshell, and the block to polyspermy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amber R Krauchunas
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States.
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5
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Xie D, Ma Y, Ye P, Liu Y, Ding Q, Huang G, Félix MA, Cai Z, Zhao Z. A newborn F-box gene blocks gene flow by selectively degrading phosphoglucomutase in species hybrids. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2418037121. [PMID: 39514314 PMCID: PMC11573670 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2418037121] [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: 09/06/2024] [Accepted: 10/04/2024] [Indexed: 11/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The establishment of reproductive barriers such as postzygotic hybrid incompatibility (HI) remains the key to speciation. Gene duplication followed by differential functionalization has long been proposed as a major model underlying HI, but little supporting evidence exists. Here, we demonstrate that a newborn F-box gene, Cni-neib-1, of the nematode Caenorhabditis nigoni specifically inactivates an essential phosphoglucomutase encoded by Cbr-shls-1 in its sister species Caenorhabditis briggsae and their hybrids. Zygotic expression of Cni-neib-1 specifically depletes Cbr-SHLS-1, but not Cni-SHLS-1, in approximately 40 min starting from gastrulation, causing embryonic death. Cni-neib-1 is one of thirty-three paralogues emerging from a recent surge in F-box gene duplication events within C. nigoni, all of which are evolving under positive selection. Cni-neib-1 undergoes turnover even among C. nigoni populations. Differential expansion of F-box genes between the two species could reflect their distinctive innate immune responses. Collectively, we demonstrate how recent duplication of genes involved in protein degradation can cause incidental destruction of targets in hybrids that leads to HI, providing an invaluable insight into mechanisms of speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongying Xie
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Yiming Ma
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Pohao Ye
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Yiqing Liu
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Qiutao Ding
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Gefei Huang
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
- Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Marie-Anne Félix
- Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, Inserm, Paris75005, France
| | - Zongwei Cai
- Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Zhongying Zhao
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
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6
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Wu H, Cen Y, Lu Y, Dan P, Li Y, Dan X, Mo Z. Role of chitin synthases CHS1 and CHS2 in biosynthesis of the cyst wall of Cryptocaryon irritans. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 280:136143. [PMID: 39357726 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.136143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2024] [Revised: 09/13/2024] [Accepted: 09/27/2024] [Indexed: 10/04/2024]
Abstract
Cryptocaryon irritans, a protozoan parasite that infects marine fish, is characterized by a complex life cycle that includes a cyst-forming reproductive phase. However, the composition of the cyst wall and mechanism of its formation remain unclear. In this study, we identified chitin as a key component of the cyst wall using calcofluor white and wheat germ agglutinin, with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirming its β-form structure. Two chitin synthase genes, CHS1 and CHS2, were identified as being expressed throughout the life cycle and show close phylogenetic relationships with chitin synthase from ciliates. Incubation with specific anti-CHS1 and -CHS2 antibodies significantly reduced both the thickness and chitin content of the cyst wall, highlighting the critical role of these enzymes in chitin biosynthesis. Treatment with benzoylureas, which inhibit chitin synthesis, caused thinning of the cyst wall and downregulation of CHS gene expression, resulting in an 84 % reduction in the hatching rate after treatment with 0.01 mM CuSO4 compared with control tomonts. Western blot analysis demonstrated that recombinant CHS proteins are immunogenic, and tomonts from CHS-immunized grouper exhibited reduced size. These findings bridge a crucial knowledge gap in understanding of the C. irritans cyst wall and highlight promising targets for infection prevention and control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huicheng Wu
- University Joint Laboratory of Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macao Region on Marine Bioresource Conservation and Exploitation, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yihao Cen
- University Joint Laboratory of Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macao Region on Marine Bioresource Conservation and Exploitation, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yipei Lu
- University Joint Laboratory of Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macao Region on Marine Bioresource Conservation and Exploitation, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Pengbo Dan
- International Department, Affiliated High School of South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanwei Li
- University Joint Laboratory of Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macao Region on Marine Bioresource Conservation and Exploitation, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xueming Dan
- University Joint Laboratory of Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macao Region on Marine Bioresource Conservation and Exploitation, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Zequan Mo
- University Joint Laboratory of Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macao Region on Marine Bioresource Conservation and Exploitation, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
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7
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Su Y, Shea J, Destephanis D, Su Z. Transcriptomic analysis of the spatiotemporal axis of oogenesis and fertilization in C. elegans. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1436975. [PMID: 39224437 PMCID: PMC11366716 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1436975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite presents a unique model to study the formation of oocytes. However, the size of the model animal and difficulties in retrieval of specific stages of the germline have obviated closer systematic studies of this process throughout the years. Here, we present a transcriptomic level analysis into the oogenesis of C. elegans hermaphrodites. We dissected a hermaphrodite gonad into seven sections corresponding to the mitotic distal region, the pachytene region, the diplotene region, the early diakinesis region and the 3 most proximal oocytes, and deeply sequenced the transcriptome of each of them along with that of the fertilized egg using a single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) protocol. We identified specific gene expression events as well as gene splicing events in finer detail along the gonad and provided novel insights into underlying mechanisms of the oogenesis process. Furthermore, through careful review of relevant research literature coupled with patterns observed in our analysis, we delineate transcripts that may serve functions in the interactions between the germline and cells of the somatic gonad. These results expand our knowledge of the transcriptomic space of the C. elegans germline and lay a foundation on which future studies of the germline can be based upon.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Zhengchang Su
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
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8
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Sundaram MV, Pujol N. The Caenorhabditis elegans cuticle and precuticle: a model for studying dynamic apical extracellular matrices in vivo. Genetics 2024; 227:iyae072. [PMID: 38995735 PMCID: PMC11304992 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyae072] [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: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Apical extracellular matrices (aECMs) coat the exposed surfaces of animal bodies to shape tissues, influence social interactions, and protect against pathogens and other environmental challenges. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, collagenous cuticle and zona pellucida protein-rich precuticle aECMs alternately coat external epithelia across the molt cycle and play many important roles in the worm's development, behavior, and physiology. Both these types of aECMs contain many matrix proteins related to those in vertebrates, as well as some that are nematode-specific. Extensive differences observed among tissues and life stages demonstrate that aECMs are a major feature of epithelial cell identity. In addition to forming discrete layers, some cuticle components assemble into complex substructures such as ridges, furrows, and nanoscale pillars. The epidermis and cuticle are mechanically linked, allowing the epidermis to sense cuticle damage and induce protective innate immune and stress responses. The C. elegans model, with its optical transparency, facilitates the study of aECM cell biology and structure/function relationships and all the myriad ways by which aECM can influence an organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meera V Sundaram
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Nathalie Pujol
- Aix Marseille University, INSERM, CNRS, CIML, Turing Centre for Living Systems, 13009 Marseille, France
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9
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Su Y, Shea J, DeStephanis D, Su Z. Transcriptomic Analysis of the Spatiotemporal Axis of Oogenesis and Fertilization in C. elegans. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.03.597235. [PMID: 38895354 PMCID: PMC11185608 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.03.597235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
The oocyte germline of the C. elegans hermaphrodite presents a unique model to study the formation of oocytes. However, the size of the model animal and difficulties in retrieval of specific stages of the germline have obviated closer systematic studies of this process throughout the years. Here, we present a transcriptomic level analysis into the oogenesis of C. elegans hermaphrodites. We dissected a hermaphrodite gonad into seven sections corresponding to the mitotic distal region, the pachytene, the diplotene, the early diakinesis region and the 3 most proximal oocytes, and deeply sequenced the transcriptome of each of them along with that of the fertilized egg using a single-cell RNA-seq protocol. We identified specific gene expression events as well as gene splicing events in finer detail along the oocyte germline and provided novel insights into underlying mechanisms of the oogenesis process. Furthermore, through careful review of relevant research literature coupled with patterns observed in our analysis, we attempt to delineate transcripts that may serve functions in the interaction between the germline and cells of the somatic gonad. These results expand our knowledge of the transcriptomic space of the C. elegans germline and lay a foundation on which future studies of the germline can be based upon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangqi Su
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Jonathan Shea
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Darla DeStephanis
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Zhengchang Su
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
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10
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Kawasaki I, Sugiura K, Sasaki T, Matsuda N, Sato M, Sato K. MARC-3, a membrane-associated ubiquitin ligase, is required for fast polyspermy block in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nat Commun 2024; 15:792. [PMID: 38278786 PMCID: PMC10817901 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44928-6] [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: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In many sexually reproducing organisms, oocytes are fundamentally fertilized with one sperm. In Caenorhabditis elegans, chitin layer formation after fertilization by the EGG complex is one of the mechanisms of polyspermy block, but other mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that MARC-3, a membrane-associated RING-CH-type ubiquitin ligase that localizes to the plasma membrane and cortical puncta in oocytes, is involved in fast polyspermy block. During polyspermy, the second sperm entry occurs within approximately 10 s after fertilization in MARC-3-deficient zygotes, whereas it occurs approximately 200 s after fertilization in egg-3 mutant zygotes defective in the chitin layer formation. MARC-3 also functions in the selective degradation of maternal plasma membrane proteins and the transient accumulation of endosomal lysine 63-linked polyubiquitin after fertilization. The RING-finger domain of MARC-3 is required for its in vitro ubiquitination activity and polyspermy block, suggesting that a ubiquitination-mediated mechanism sequentially regulates fast polyspermy block and maternal membrane protein degradation during the oocyte-to-embryo transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ichiro Kawasaki
- Laboratory of Molecular Traffic, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8512, Japan
| | - Kenta Sugiura
- Laboratory of Molecular Traffic, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8512, Japan
| | - Taeko Sasaki
- Laboratory of Molecular Membrane Biology, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8512, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Matsuda
- Department of Biomolecular Pathogenesis, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan
| | - Miyuki Sato
- Laboratory of Molecular Membrane Biology, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8512, Japan.
| | - Ken Sato
- Laboratory of Molecular Traffic, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8512, Japan.
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11
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Ishita Y, Onodera A, Ekino T, Chihara T, Okumura M. Co-option of an Astacin Metalloprotease Is Associated with an Evolutionarily Novel Feeding Morphology in a Predatory Nematode. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad266. [PMID: 38105444 PMCID: PMC10753534 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad266] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals consume a wide variety of food sources to adapt to different environments. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying the acquisition of evolutionarily novel feeding morphology remain largely unknown. While the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans feeds on bacteria, the satellite species Pristionchus pacificus exhibits predatory feeding behavior toward other nematodes, which is an evolutionarily novel feeding habit. Here, we found that the astacin metalloprotease Ppa-NAS-6 is required for the predatory killing by P. pacificus. Ppa-nas-6 mutants were defective in predation-associated characteristics, specifically the tooth morphogenesis and tooth movement during predation. Comparison of expression patterns and rescue experiments of nas-6 in P. pacificus and C. elegans suggested that alteration of the spatial expression patterns of NAS-6 may be vital for acquiring predation-related traits. Reporter analysis of the Ppa-nas-6 promoter in C. elegans revealed that the alteration in expression patterns was caused by evolutionary changes in cis- and trans-regulatory elements. This study suggests that the co-option of a metalloprotease is involved in an evolutionarily novel feeding morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuuki Ishita
- Program of Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
| | - Ageha Onodera
- Program of Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
| | - Taisuke Ekino
- School of Agriculture, Meiji University, Kawasaki 214-8571, Japan
| | - Takahiro Chihara
- Program of Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
- Program of Basic Biology, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
| | - Misako Okumura
- Program of Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
- Program of Basic Biology, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
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12
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Kamal M, Tokmakjian L, Knox J, Han D, Moshiri H, Magomedova L, Nguyen KCQ, Zheng H, Burns AR, Cooke B, Lacoste J, Yeo M, Hall DH, Cummins CL, Roy PJ. PGP-14 establishes a polar lipid permeability barrier within the C. elegans pharyngeal cuticle. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1011008. [PMID: 37930961 PMCID: PMC10653525 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011008] [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: 03/05/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The cuticles of ecdysozoan animals are barriers to material loss and xenobiotic insult. Key to this barrier is lipid content, the establishment of which is poorly understood. Here, we show that the p-glycoprotein PGP-14 functions coincidently with the sphingomyelin synthase SMS-5 to establish a polar lipid barrier within the pharyngeal cuticle of the nematode C. elegans. We show that PGP-14 and SMS-5 are coincidentally expressed in the epithelium that surrounds the anterior pharyngeal cuticle where PGP-14 localizes to the apical membrane. pgp-14 and sms-5 also peak in expression at the time of new cuticle synthesis. Loss of PGP-14 and SMS-5 dramatically reduces pharyngeal cuticle staining by Nile Red, a key marker of polar lipids, and coincidently alters the nematode's response to a wide-range of xenobiotics. We infer that PGP-14 exports polar lipids into the developing pharyngeal cuticle in an SMS-5-dependent manner to safeguard the nematode from environmental insult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muntasir Kamal
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Levon Tokmakjian
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jessica Knox
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Duhyun Han
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Houtan Moshiri
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lilia Magomedova
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ken CQ Nguyen
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Hong Zheng
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew R. Burns
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Brittany Cooke
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jessica Lacoste
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - May Yeo
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - David H. Hall
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Carolyn L. Cummins
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Peter J. Roy
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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13
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Qiu Y, Wu X, Wen T, Hu L, Rui L, Zhang Y, Ye J. The Bursaphelenchus xylophilus candidate effector BxLip-3 targets the class I chitinases to suppress immunity in pine. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2023; 24:1033-1046. [PMID: 37448165 PMCID: PMC10423331 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.13334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Lipase is involved in lipid hydrolysis, which is related to nematodes' energy reserves and stress resistance. However, the role of lipases in Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, a notorious plant-parasitic nematode responsible for severe damage to pine forest ecosystems, remains largely obscure. Here, we characterized a class III lipase as a candidate effector and named it BxLip-3. It was transcriptionally up-regulated in the parasitic stages of B. xylophilus and specifically expressed in the oesophageal gland cells and the intestine. In addition, BxLip-3 suppressed cell death triggered by the pathogen-associated molecular patterns PsXEG1 and BxCDP1 in Nicotiana benthamiana, and its Lipase-3 domain is essential for immunosuppression. Silencing of the BxLip-3 gene resulted in a delay in disease onset and increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes. Plant chitinases are thought to be PR proteins involved in the defence system against pathogen attack. Using yeast two-hybrid and co-immunoprecipitation assays, we identified two class I chitinases in Pinus thunbergii, PtChia1-3 and PtChia1-4, as targets of BxLip-3. The expression of these two chitinases was up-regulated during B. xylophilus inoculation and inhibited by BxLip-3. Overall, this study illustrated that BxLip-3 is a crucial virulence factor that plays a critical role in the interaction between B. xylophilus and host pine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi‐Jun Qiu
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of ForestryNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Prevention and Management of Invasive SpeciesNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Xiao‐Qin Wu
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of ForestryNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Prevention and Management of Invasive SpeciesNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Tong‐Yue Wen
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of ForestryNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Prevention and Management of Invasive SpeciesNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Long‐Jiao Hu
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of ForestryNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Prevention and Management of Invasive SpeciesNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
- Institute of BotanyJiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of SciencesNanjingChina
| | - Lin Rui
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of ForestryNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Prevention and Management of Invasive SpeciesNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Yan Zhang
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of ForestryNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Prevention and Management of Invasive SpeciesNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Jian‐Ren Ye
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of ForestryNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Prevention and Management of Invasive SpeciesNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
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14
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Vandepas LE, Tassia MG, Halanych KM, Amemiya CT. Unexpected Distribution of Chitin and Chitin Synthase across Soft-Bodied Cnidarians. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13050777. [PMID: 37238647 DOI: 10.3390/biom13050777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Cnidarians are commonly recognized as sea jellies, corals, or complex colonies such as the Portuguese man-of-war. While some cnidarians possess rigid internal calcareous skeletons (e.g., corals), many are soft-bodied. Intriguingly, genes coding for the chitin-biosynthetic enzyme, chitin synthase (CHS), were recently identified in the model anemone Nematostella vectensis, a species lacking hard structures. Here we report the prevalence and diversity of CHS across Cnidaria and show that cnidarian chitin synthase genes display diverse protein domain organizations. We found that CHS is expressed in cnidarian species and/or developmental stages with no reported chitinous or rigid morphological structures. Chitin affinity histochemistry indicates that chitin is present in soft tissues of some scyphozoan and hydrozoan medusae. To further elucidate the biology of chitin in cnidarian soft tissues, we focused on CHS expression in N. vectensis. Spatial expression data show that three CHS orthologs are differentially expressed in Nematostella embryos and larvae during development, suggesting that chitin has an integral role in the biology of this species. Understanding how a non-bilaterian lineage such as Cnidaria employs chitin may provide new insight into hitherto unknown functions of polysaccharides in animals, as well as their role in the evolution of biological novelty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Vandepas
- Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Michael G Tassia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Kenneth M Halanych
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
- Departments of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA
| | - Chris T Amemiya
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at Merced, Merced, CA 95343, USA
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15
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Woodruff GC. Developmental genetics: The structural basis of malleable teeth. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R106-R108. [PMID: 36750020 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
A chitin synthase is required for tooth development in the nematode Pristionchus pacificus, revealing the structural basis of phenotypically plastic feeding structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin C Woodruff
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA.
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16
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Chitin contributes to the formation of a feeding structure in a predatory nematode. Curr Biol 2023; 33:15-27.e6. [PMID: 36460010 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Some nematode predators and parasites form teeth-like denticles that are histologically different from vertebrate teeth, but their biochemical composition remains elusive. Here, we show a role of chitin in the formation of teeth-like denticles in Pristionchus pacificus, a model system for studying predation and feeding structure plasticity. Pristionchus forms two alternative mouth morphs with one tooth or two teeth, respectively. The P. pacificus genome encodes two chitin synthases, with the highly conserved chs-2 gene being composed of 60 exons forming at least four isoforms. Generating CRISPR-Cas9-based gene knockouts, we found that Ppa-chs-2 mutations that eliminate the chitin-synthase domain are lethal. However, mutations in the C terminus result in viable but teethless worms, with severe malformation of the mouth. Similarly, treatment with the chitin-synthase inhibitor Nikkomycin Z also results in teethless animals. Teethless worms can feed on various bacterial food sources but are incapable of predation. High-resolution transcriptomics revealed that Ppa-chs-2 expression is controlled by the sulfatase-encoding developmental switch Ppa-eud-1. This study indicates a key role of chitin in the formation of teeth-like denticles and the complex feeding apparatus in nematodes.
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17
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Shen S, Ding B, Jiang X, Yang M, Yang Q, Dong L. Discovery of novel inhibitors targeting nematode chitinase C eCht1: Virtual screening, biological evaluation, and molecular dynamics simulation. Front Chem 2022; 10:1021295. [PMID: 36405330 PMCID: PMC9669442 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.1021295] [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: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Plant-parasitic nematodes are a main limiting factor for worldwide agriculture. To reduce the global burden of nematode infections, chemical nematicides are still the most effective methods to manage nematodes. With the increasing resistance of nematodes, the development of new anti-nematicides drug is urgent. Nematode chitinases are found to play important roles in various physiological functions, such as larva moulting, hatching from eggshell, and host infection. Inhibition of nematode chitinase is considered a promising strategy for the development of eco-friendly nematicides. In this study, to develop novel nematode chitinase CeCht1 inhibitors, virtual screening of the ZINC database was performed using the pesticide-likeness rules, pharmacophore-based and docking-based approach in turn. Compounds HAU-4 and HAU-7 were identified as potent CeCht1 inhibitors with the IC50 values of 4.2 μM and 10.0 μM, respectively. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulations combined with binding free energy and free energy decomposition calculations were conducted to investigate the basis for the potency of the two inhibitors toward CeCht1. This work gives an insight into the future rational development of novel and potent nematode chitinase inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengqiang Shen
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Baokang Ding
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
| | - Xi Jiang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture (Shenzhen Branch), Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Meiling Yang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
| | - Qing Yang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture (Shenzhen Branch), Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lili Dong
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China
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18
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Kamal M, Tokmakjian L, Knox J, Mastrangelo P, Ji J, Cai H, Wojciechowski JW, Hughes MP, Takács K, Chu X, Pei J, Grolmusz V, Kotulska M, Forman-Kay JD, Roy PJ. A spatiotemporal reconstruction of the C. elegans pharyngeal cuticle reveals a structure rich in phase-separating proteins. eLife 2022; 11:e79396. [PMID: 36259463 PMCID: PMC9629831 DOI: 10.7554/elife.79396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
How the cuticles of the roughly 4.5 million species of ecdysozoan animals are constructed is not well understood. Here, we systematically mine gene expression datasets to uncover the spatiotemporal blueprint for how the chitin-based pharyngeal cuticle of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is built. We demonstrate that the blueprint correctly predicts expression patterns and functional relevance to cuticle development. We find that as larvae prepare to molt, catabolic enzymes are upregulated and the genes that encode chitin synthase, chitin cross-linkers, and homologs of amyloid regulators subsequently peak in expression. Forty-eight percent of the gene products secreted during the molt are predicted to be intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), many of which belong to four distinct families whose transcripts are expressed in overlapping waves. These include the IDPAs, IDPBs, and IDPCs, which are introduced for the first time here. All four families have sequence properties that drive phase separation and we demonstrate phase separation for one exemplar in vitro. This systematic analysis represents the first blueprint for cuticle construction and highlights the massive contribution that phase-separating materials make to the structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muntasir Kamal
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
| | - Levon Tokmakjian
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
| | - Jessica Knox
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
| | - Peter Mastrangelo
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
| | - Jingxiu Ji
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
| | - Hao Cai
- Molecular Medicine Program, The Hospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoCanada
| | - Jakub W Wojciechowski
- Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Department of Biomedical EngineeringWroclawPoland
| | - Michael P Hughes
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research HospitalMemphisUnited States
| | - Kristóf Takács
- PIT Bioinformatics Group, Institute of Mathematics, Eötvös UniversityBudapestHungary
| | - Xiaoquan Chu
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Jianfeng Pei
- Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Vince Grolmusz
- PIT Bioinformatics Group, Institute of Mathematics, Eötvös UniversityBudapestHungary
| | - Malgorzata Kotulska
- Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Department of Biomedical EngineeringWroclawPoland
| | - Julie Deborah Forman-Kay
- Molecular Medicine Program, The Hospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoCanada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
| | - Peter J Roy
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of TorontoTorontoCanada
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19
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Gong S, Meng Q, Qiao J, Huang Y, Zhong W, Zhang G, Zhang K, Li N, Shang Y, Li Z, Cai X. Biological Characteristics of Recombinant Arthrobotrys oligospora Chitinase AO-801. THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY 2022; 60:345-352. [PMID: 36320111 PMCID: PMC9633153 DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2022.60.5.345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Chitinase AO-801 is a hydrolase secreted by Arthrobotrys oligospora during nematode feeding, while its role remained elusive. This study analyzed the molecular characteristics of recombinant chitinase of Arthrobotrys oligospora (reAO-801). AO-801 belongs to the typical glycoside hydrolase 18 family with conserved chitinase sequence and tertiary structure of (α/β)8 triose-phosphate isomerase (TIM) barrel. The molecular weight of reAO-801 was 42 kDa. reAO-801 effectively degraded colloidal and powdered chitin, egg lysate, and stage I larval lysate of Caenorhabditis elegans. The activity of reAO-801 reached its peak at 40˚C and pH values between 4-7. Enzyme activity was inhibited by Zn2+, Ca2+, and Fe3+, whereas Mg2+ and K+ potentiated its activity. In addition, urea, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and 2-mercaptoethanol significantly inhibited enzyme activity. reAO-801 showed complete nematicidal activity against C. elegans stage I larvae. reAO-801 broke down the C. elegans egg shells, causing them to die or die prematurely by hatching the eggs. It also invoked degradation of Haemonchus contortus eggs, resulting in apparent changes in the morphological structure. This study demonstrated the cytotoxic effect of reAO-801, which laid the foundation for further dissecting the mechanism of nematode infestation by A. oligospora.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shasha Gong
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang 832003,
China
| | - Qingling Meng
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang 832003,
China
| | - Jun Qiao
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang 832003,
China
| | - Yunfu Huang
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang 832003,
China
| | - Wenqiang Zhong
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang 832003,
China
| | - Guowu Zhang
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang 832003,
China
| | - Kai Zhang
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang 832003,
China
| | - Ningxing Li
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang 832003,
China
| | - Yunxia Shang
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang 832003,
China
| | - Zhiyuan Li
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang 832003,
China
| | - Xuepeng Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730046,
China
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20
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Paredes GF, Viehboeck T, Markert S, Mausz MA, Sato Y, Liebeke M, König L, Bulgheresi S. Differential regulation of degradation and immune pathways underlies adaptation of the ectosymbiotic nematode Laxus oneistus to oxic-anoxic interfaces. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9725. [PMID: 35697683 PMCID: PMC9192688 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13235-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotes may experience oxygen deprivation under both physiological and pathological conditions. Because oxygen shortage leads to a reduction in cellular energy production, all eukaryotes studied so far conserve energy by suppressing their metabolism. However, the molecular physiology of animals that naturally and repeatedly experience anoxia is underexplored. One such animal is the marine nematode Laxus oneistus. It thrives, invariably coated by its sulfur-oxidizing symbiont Candidatus Thiosymbion oneisti, in anoxic sulfidic or hypoxic sand. Here, transcriptomics and proteomics showed that, whether in anoxia or not, L. oneistus mostly expressed genes involved in ubiquitination, energy generation, oxidative stress response, immune response, development, and translation. Importantly, ubiquitination genes were also highly expressed when the nematode was subjected to anoxic sulfidic conditions, together with genes involved in autophagy, detoxification and ribosome biogenesis. We hypothesize that these degradation pathways were induced to recycle damaged cellular components (mitochondria) and misfolded proteins into nutrients. Remarkably, when L. oneistus was subjected to anoxic sulfidic conditions, lectin and mucin genes were also upregulated, potentially to promote the attachment of its thiotrophic symbiont. Furthermore, the nematode appeared to survive oxygen deprivation by using an alternative electron carrier (rhodoquinone) and acceptor (fumarate), to rewire the electron transfer chain. On the other hand, under hypoxia, genes involved in costly processes (e.g., amino acid biosynthesis, development, feeding, mating) were upregulated, together with the worm's Toll-like innate immunity pathway and several immune effectors (e.g., bactericidal/permeability-increasing proteins, fungicides). In conclusion, we hypothesize that, in anoxic sulfidic sand, L. oneistus upregulates degradation processes, rewires the oxidative phosphorylation and reinforces its coat of bacterial sulfur-oxidizers. In upper sand layers, instead, it appears to produce broad-range antimicrobials and to exploit oxygen for biosynthesis and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela F Paredes
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tobias Viehboeck
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution, Vienna, Austria
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stephanie Markert
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | | | - Yui Sato
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Manuel Liebeke
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Lena König
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Silvia Bulgheresi
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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21
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F H Strassert J, Rodríguez-Rojas A, Kuropka B, Krahl J, Kaya C, Pulat HC, Nurel M, Saroukh F, Radek R. Nephridiophagids (Chytridiomycota) reduce the fitness of their host insects. J Invertebr Pathol 2022; 192:107769. [PMID: 35597279 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2022.107769] [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: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Nephridiophagids are unicellular fungi (Chytridiomycota), which infect the Malpighian tubules of insects. While most life cycle features are known, the effects of these endobionts on their hosts remain poorly understood. Here, we present results on the influence of an infection of the cockroach Blattella germanica with Nephridiophaga blattellae (Ni = Nephridiophaga-infected) on physical, physiological, and reproductive fitness parameters. Since the gut nematode Blatticola blattae is a further common parasite of B. germanica, we included double infected cockroaches (N+Ni = nematode plus Ni) in selected experiments. Ni individuals had lower fat reserves and showed reduced mobility. The lifespan of adult hosts was only slightly affected in these individuals but significantly shortened when both Nephridiophaga and nematodes were present. Ni as well as N+Ni females produced considerably less offspring than parasite-free (P-free) females. Immune parameters such as the number of hemocytes and phenoloxidase activity were barely changed by Nephridiophaga and/or nematode infections, while the ability to detoxify pesticides decreased. Quantitative proteomics from hemolymph of P-free, Ni, and N+Ni populations revealed clear differences in the expression profiles. For Ni animals, for example, the down-regulation of fatty acid synthases corroborates our finding of reduced fat reserves. Our study clearly shows that an infection with Nephridiophaga (and nematodes) leads to an overall reduced host fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen F H Strassert
- Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Evolutionary and Integrative Ecology, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Alexandro Rodríguez-Rojas
- Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Internal Medicine - Vetmeduni Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Benno Kuropka
- Protein Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Joscha Krahl
- Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Cem Kaya
- Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hakan-Can Pulat
- Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mehmed Nurel
- Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Fatma Saroukh
- Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Renate Radek
- Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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22
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Molecular analysis of genes involved in chitin degradation from the chitinolytic bacterium Bacillus velezensis. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 2022; 115:215-231. [PMID: 35001244 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-021-01697-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Bacillus velezensis RB.IBE29 is a potent biocontrol agent with high chitinase activity isolated from the rhizosphere of black pepper cultivated in the Central Highlands, Vietnam. Genome sequences revealed that this species possesses some GH18 chitinases and AA10 protein(s); however, these enzymes have not been experimentally characterized. In this work, three genes were identified from the genomic DNA of this bacterium and cloned in Escherichia coli. Sequence analysis exhibited that the ORF of chiA consists of 1,203 bp and encodes deduced 45.46 kDa-chitinase A of 400 aa. The domain structure of chitinase A is composed of a CBM 50 domain at the N-terminus and a catalytic domain at the C-terminus. The ORF of chiB includes 1,263 bp and encodes deduced 47.59 kDa-chitinase B of 420 aa. Chitinase B consists of two CBM50 domains at the N-terminus and a catalytic domain at the C-terminus. The ORF of lpmo10 is 621 bp and encodes a deduced 22.44 kDa-AA10 protein, BvLPMO10 of 206 aa. BvLPMO10 contains a signal peptide and an AA10 catalytic domain. Chitinases A and B were grouped into subfamily A of family 18 chitinases. Amino acid sequences in their catalytic domains lack aromatic residues (Trp, Phe, Tyr) probably involved in processivity and substrate binding compared with well-known bacterial GH18 chitinases. chiB was successfully expressed in E. coli. Purified rBvChiB degraded insoluble chitin and was responsible for inhibition of fungal spore-germination and egg hatching of plant-parasitic nematode. This is the first report describing the analysis of the chitinase system from B. velezensis.
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Chen W, Chen Q, Kumar A, Jiang X, Zhang KYJ, Yang Q. Structure-based virtual screening of highly potent inhibitors of the nematode chitinase CeCht1. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2021; 36:1198-1204. [PMID: 34074203 PMCID: PMC8174485 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2021.1931862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Nematode chitinases play vital roles in various physiological processes, including egg hatching, larva moulting, and reproduction. Small-molecule inhibitors of nematode chitinases have potential applications for controlling nematode pests. On the basis of the crystal structure of CeCht1, a representative chitinase indispensable to the eggshell chitin degradation of the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, we have discovered a series of novel inhibitors bearing a (R)-3,4-diphenyl-4,5-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrazol-6(2H)-one scaffold by hierarchical virtual screening. The crystal structures of CeCht1 complexed with two of these inhibitors clearly elucidated their interactions with the enzyme active site. Based on the inhibitory mechanism, several analogues with improved inhibitory activities were identified, among which the compound PP28 exhibited the most potent activity with a Ki value of 0.18 μM. This work provides the structural basis for the development of novel nematode chitinase inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ashutosh Kumar
- Laboratory for Structural Bioinformatics, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, RIKEN, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Xi Jiang
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture (Shenzhen Branch), Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Kam Y J Zhang
- Laboratory for Structural Bioinformatics, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, RIKEN, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Qing Yang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.,Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture (Shenzhen Branch), Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China.,School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
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24
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Hu C, Ma Z, Zhu J, Fan Y, Tuo B, Li T, Liu X. Physiological and pathophysiological roles of acidic mammalian chitinase (CHIA) in multiple organs. Biomed Pharmacother 2021; 138:111465. [PMID: 34311522 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.111465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2020] [Revised: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Acidic mammalian chitinase (CHIA) belongs to the 18-glycosidase family and is expressed in epithelial cells and certain immune cells (such as neutrophils and macrophages) in various organs. Under physiological conditions, as a hydrolase, CHIA can degrade chitin-containing pathogens, participate in Type 2 helper T (Th2)-mediated inflammation, and enhance innate and adaptive immunity to pathogen invasion. Under pathological conditions, such as rhinitis, ocular conjunctivitis, asthma, chronic atrophic gastritis, type 2 diabetes, and pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, CHIA expression is significantly changed. In addition, studies have shown that CHIA has an anti-apoptotic effect, promotes epithelial cell proliferation and maintains organ integrity, and these effects are not related to chitinase degradation. CHIA can also be used as a biomolecular marker in diseases such as chronic atrophic gastritis, dry eye, and acute kidney damage caused by sepsis. Analysis of the authoritative TCGA database shows that CHIA expression in gastric adenocarcinoma, liver cancer, renal clear cell carcinoma and other tumors is significantly downregulated compared with that in normal tissues, but the specific mechanism is unclear. This review is based on all surveys conducted to date and summarizes the expression patterns and functional diversity of CHIA in various organs. Understanding the physiological and pathophysiological relevance of CHIA in multiple organs opens new possibilities for disease treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunli Hu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China; Digestive Disease Institute of Guizhou Province, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China
| | - Zhiyuan Ma
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China; Digestive Disease Institute of Guizhou Province, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China; Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China
| | - Jiaxing Zhu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China; Digestive Disease Institute of Guizhou Province, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China
| | - Yi Fan
- Endoscopy center, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China
| | - Biguang Tuo
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China; Digestive Disease Institute of Guizhou Province, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China; Endoscopy center, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China
| | - Taolang Li
- Digestive Disease Institute of Guizhou Province, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China; Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China.
| | - Xuemei Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China; Digestive Disease Institute of Guizhou Province, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China; Endoscopy center, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou Province 563003, China.
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25
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Chen Q, Chen W, Kumar A, Jiang X, Janezic M, Zhang KYJ, Yang Q. Crystal Structure and Structure-Based Discovery of Inhibitors of the Nematode Chitinase CeCht1. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2021; 69:3519-3526. [PMID: 33691404 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c00162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Nematode chitinases play crucial roles in various processes of the nematode lifecycle, including hatching, molting, and reproduction. Small-molecule inhibitors of nematode chitinases have shown promise for controlling nematode pests. However, the lack of structural information makes it a challenge to develop nematicides targeting nematode chitinases. Here, we report the first crystal structure of a representative nematode chitinase, that of CeCht1 from the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, to a 1.7 Å resolution. CeCht1 is a highly conserved chitinase among nematodes, and structural comparison with other chitinases revealed that CeCht1 has a classical TIM-barrel fold with some subtle structural differences in the substrate-binding cleft. Benefiting from the obtained crystal structure, we identified a series of novel inhibitors by hierarchical virtual screening. Analysis of the structure-activity relationships of these compounds provided insight into their interactions with the enzyme active site, which may inform future work in improving the potencies of their inhibitory activities. This work gives an insight into the structural features of nematode chitinases and provides a solid basis for the development of inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Wei Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Ashutosh Kumar
- Laboratory for Structural Bioinformatics, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, RIKEN, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Xi Jiang
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture (Shenzhen Branch), Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China
| | - Matej Janezic
- Laboratory for Structural Bioinformatics, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, RIKEN, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Kam Y J Zhang
- Laboratory for Structural Bioinformatics, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, RIKEN, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Qing Yang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture (Shenzhen Branch), Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China
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26
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The Developmental Transcriptome of Bagworm, Metisa plana (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) and Insights into Chitin Biosynthesis Genes. Genes (Basel) 2020; 12:genes12010007. [PMID: 33374651 PMCID: PMC7822449 DOI: 10.3390/genes12010007] [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: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Bagworm, Metisa plana (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) is a ubiquitous insect pest in the oil palm plantations. M. plana infestation could reduce the oil palm productivity by 40% if it remains untreated over two consecutive years. Despite the urgency to tackle this issue, the genome and transcriptome of M. plana have not yet been fully elucidated. Here, we report a comprehensive transcriptome dataset from four different developmental stages of M. plana, comprising of egg, third instar larva, pupa and female adult. The de novo transcriptome assembly of the raw data had produced a total of 193,686 transcripts, which were then annotated against UniProt, NCBI non-redundant (NR) database, Gene Ontology, Cluster of Orthologous Group, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes databases. From this, 46,534 transcripts were annotated and mapped to 146 known metabolic or signalling KEGG pathways. The paper further identified 41 differentially expressed transcripts encoding seven genes in the chitin biosynthesis pathways, and their expressions across each developmental stage were further analysed. The genetic diversity of M. plana was profiled whereby there were 21,516 microsatellite sequences and 379,895 SNPs loci found in the transcriptome of M. plana. These datasets add valuable transcriptomic resources for further study of developmental gene expression, transcriptional regulations and functional gene activities involved in the development of M. plana. Identification of regulatory genes in the chitin biosynthesis pathway may also help in developing an RNAi-mediated pest control management by targeting certain pathways, and functional studies of the genes in M. plana.
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27
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Cohen JD, Sundaram MV. C. elegans Apical Extracellular Matrices Shape Epithelia. J Dev Biol 2020; 8:E23. [PMID: 33036165 PMCID: PMC7712855 DOI: 10.3390/jdb8040023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Apical extracellular matrices (aECMs) coat exposed surfaces of epithelia to shape developing tissues and protect them from environmental insults. Despite their widespread importance for human health, aECMs are poorly understood compared to basal and stromal ECMs. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans contains a variety of distinct aECMs, some of which share many of the same types of components (lipids, lipoproteins, collagens, zona pellucida domain proteins, chondroitin glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans) with mammalian aECMs. These aECMs include the eggshell, a glycocalyx-like pre-cuticle, both collagenous and chitin-based cuticles, and other understudied aECMs of internal epithelia. C. elegans allows rapid genetic manipulations and live imaging of fluorescently-tagged aECM components, and is therefore providing new insights into aECM structure, trafficking, assembly, and functions in tissue shaping.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Meera V. Sundaram
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine 415 Curie Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6145, USA;
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28
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Yilmaz LS, Li X, Nanda S, Fox B, Schroeder F, Walhout AJ. Modeling tissue-relevant Caenorhabditis elegans metabolism at network, pathway, reaction, and metabolite levels. Mol Syst Biol 2020; 16:e9649. [PMID: 33022146 PMCID: PMC7537831 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20209649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Metabolism is a highly compartmentalized process that provides building blocks for biomass generation during development, homeostasis, and wound healing, and energy to support cellular and organismal processes. In metazoans, different cells and tissues specialize in different aspects of metabolism. However, studying the compartmentalization of metabolism in different cell types in a whole animal and for a particular stage of life is difficult. Here, we present MEtabolic models Reconciled with Gene Expression (MERGE), a computational pipeline that we used to predict tissue-relevant metabolic function at the network, pathway, reaction, and metabolite levels based on single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Our analysis recapitulated known tissue functions in C. elegans, captured metabolic properties that are shared with similar tissues in human, and provided predictions for novel metabolic functions. MERGE is versatile and applicable to other systems. We envision this work as a starting point for the development of metabolic network models for individual cells as scRNA-seq continues to provide higher-resolution gene expression data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lutfu Safak Yilmaz
- Program in Systems Biology, Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Xuhang Li
- Program in Systems Biology, Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Shivani Nanda
- Program in Systems Biology, Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Bennett Fox
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Frank Schroeder
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Albertha Jm Walhout
- Program in Systems Biology, Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
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29
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Mani V, Reddy CS, Lee SK, Park S, Ko HR, Kim DG, Hahn BS. Chitin Biosynthesis Inhibition of Meloidogyne incognita by RNAi-Mediated Gene Silencing Increases Resistance to Transgenic Tobacco Plants. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E6626. [PMID: 32927773 PMCID: PMC7555284 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21186626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Meloidogyne incognita is a devastating plant parasitic nematode that causes root knot disease in a wide range of plants. In the present study, we investigated host-induced RNA interference (RNAi) gene silencing of chitin biosynthesis pathway genes (chitin synthase, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, and trehalase) in transgenic tobacco plants. To develop an RNAi vector, ubiquitin (UBQ1) promoter was directly cloned, and to generate an RNAi construct, expression of three genes was suppressed using the GATEWAY system. Further, transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana lines expressing dsRNA for chitin synthase (CS), glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI), and trehalase 1 (TH1) were generated. Quantitative PCR analysis confirmed endogenous mRNA expression of root knot nematode (RKN) and revealed that all three genes were more highly expressed in the female stage than in eggs and in the parasitic stage. In vivo, transformed roots were challenged with M. incognita. The number of eggs and root knots were significantly decreased by 60-90% in RNAi transgenic lines. As evident, root galls obtained from transgenic RNAi lines exhibited 0.01- to 0.70-fold downregulation of transcript levels of targeted genes compared with galls isolated from control plants. Furthermore, phenotypic characteristics such as female size and width were also marginally altered, while effect of egg mass per egg number in RNAi transgenic lines was reduced. These results indicate the relevance and significance of targeting chitin biosynthesis genes during the nematode lifespan. Overall, our results suggest that further developments in RNAi efficiency in commercially valued crops can be applied to employ RNAi against other plant parasitic nematodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vimalraj Mani
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju 54874, Korea; (V.M.); (C.S.R.); (S.-K.L.); (S.P.)
| | - Chinreddy Subramanyam Reddy
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju 54874, Korea; (V.M.); (C.S.R.); (S.-K.L.); (S.P.)
| | - Seon-Kyeong Lee
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju 54874, Korea; (V.M.); (C.S.R.); (S.-K.L.); (S.P.)
| | - Soyoung Park
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju 54874, Korea; (V.M.); (C.S.R.); (S.-K.L.); (S.P.)
| | - Hyoung-Rai Ko
- Crop Protection Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju 55365, Korea;
| | - Dong-Gwan Kim
- Department of Bio-Industry and Bio-Resource Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Korea;
| | - Bum-Soo Hahn
- National Agrobiodiversity Center, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju 54874, Korea
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30
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Jia X, Rajib MR, Yin H. Recognition Pattern, Functional Mechanism and Application of Chitin and Chitosan Oligosaccharides in Sustainable Agriculture. Curr Pharm Des 2020; 26:3508-3521. [DOI: 10.2174/1381612826666200617165915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Background:
Application of chitin attracts much attention in the past decades as the second abundant
polysaccharides in the world after cellulose. Chitin oligosaccharides (CTOS) and its deacetylated derivative chitosan
oligosaccharides (COS) were shown great potentiality in agriculture by enhancing plant resistance to abiotic
or biotic stresses, promoting plant growth and yield, improving fruits quality and storage, etc. Those applications
have already served huge economic and social benefits for many years. However, the recognition mode and functional
mechanism of CTOS and COS on plants have gradually revealed just in recent years.
Objective:
Recognition pattern and functional mechanism of CTOS and COS in plant together with application
status of COS in agricultural production will be well described in this review. By which we wish to promote
further development and application of CTOS and COS–related products in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaochen Jia
- Dalian Engineering Research Center for Carbohydrate Agricultural Preparations, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbohydrates, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China
| | - Mijanur R. Rajib
- Dalian Engineering Research Center for Carbohydrate Agricultural Preparations, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbohydrates, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China
| | - Heng Yin
- Dalian Engineering Research Center for Carbohydrate Agricultural Preparations, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbohydrates, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China
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31
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Starich TA, Bai X, Greenstein D. Gap junctions deliver malonyl-CoA from soma to germline to support embryogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans. eLife 2020; 9:58619. [PMID: 32735213 PMCID: PMC7445009 DOI: 10.7554/elife.58619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Gap junctions are ubiquitous in metazoans and play critical roles in important biological processes, including electrical conduction and development. Yet, only a few defined molecules passing through gap junction channels have been linked to specific functions. We isolated gap junction channel mutants that reduce coupling between the soma and germ cells in the Caenorhabditis elegans gonad. We provide evidence that malonyl-CoA, the rate-limiting substrate for fatty acid synthesis (FAS), is produced in the soma and delivered through gap junctions to the germline; there it is used in fatty acid synthesis to critically support embryonic development. Separation of malonyl-CoA production from its site of utilization facilitates somatic control of germline development. Additionally, we demonstrate that loss of malonyl-CoA production in the intestine negatively impacts germline development independently of FAS. Our results suggest that metabolic outsourcing of malonyl-CoA may be a strategy by which the soma communicates nutritional status to the germline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd A Starich
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States
| | - Xiaofei Bai
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - David Greenstein
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States
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32
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Parker DM, Winkenbach LP, Boyson S, Saxton MN, Daidone C, Al-Mazaydeh ZA, Nishimura MT, Mueller F, Osborne Nishimura E. mRNA localization is linked to translation regulation in the Caenorhabditis elegans germ lineage. Development 2020; 147:dev186817. [PMID: 32541012 PMCID: PMC7358130 DOI: 10.1242/dev.186817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans early embryos generate cell-specific transcriptomes despite lacking active transcription, thereby presenting an opportunity to study mechanisms of post-transcriptional regulatory control. We observed that some cell-specific mRNAs accumulate non-homogenously within cells, localizing to membranes, P granules (associated with progenitor germ cells in the P lineage) and P-bodies (associated with RNA processing). The subcellular distribution of transcripts differed in their dependence on 3'UTRs and RNA binding proteins, suggesting diverse regulatory mechanisms. Notably, we found strong but imperfect correlations between low translational status and P granule localization within the progenitor germ lineage. By uncoupling translation from mRNA localization, we untangled a long-standing question: Are mRNAs directed to P granules to be translationally repressed, or do they accumulate there as a consequence of this repression? We found that translational repression preceded P granule localization and could occur independently of it. Further, disruption of translation was sufficient to send homogenously distributed mRNAs to P granules. These results implicate transcriptional repression as a means to deliver essential maternal transcripts to the progenitor germ lineage for later translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan M Parker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Lindsay P Winkenbach
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Sam Boyson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Matthew N Saxton
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Camryn Daidone
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Zainab A Al-Mazaydeh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Hashemite University, Zarqa, 13115, Jordan
| | - Marc T Nishimura
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Florian Mueller
- Département Biologie Cellulaire et Infections, Unité Imagerie et Modélisation, Institut Pasteur and CNRS UMR 3691, 28 rue du Docteur Roux, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Erin Osborne Nishimura
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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Teething during sleep: Ultrastructural analysis of pharyngeal muscle and cuticular grinder during the molt in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0233059. [PMID: 32433687 PMCID: PMC7239488 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex extracellular structures exist throughout phylogeny, but the dynamics of their formation and dissolution are often opaque. One example is the pharyngeal grinder of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, an extracellular structure that ruptures bacteria during feeding. During each larval transition stage, called lethargus, the grinder is replaced with one of a larger size. Here, we characterize at the ultrastructural level the deconstruction of the larval grinder and the construction of the adult grinder during the fourth larval stage (L4)-to-adult transition. Early in L4 lethargus, pharyngeal muscle cells trans-differentiate from contractile to secretory cells, as evidenced by the appearance of clear and dense core vesicles and disruptions in sarcomere organization. This is followed, within minutes, by the dissolution of the L4 grinder and the formation and maturation of the adult grinder. Components of the nascent adult grinder are deposited basally, and are separated from the dissolving larval grinder by a visible apical layer. The complete grinder is a lamellated extracellular matrix comprised of five layers. Following grinder formation, pharyngeal muscle cells regain ultrastructural contractile properties, and muscle contractions resume. Our findings add to our understanding of how complex extracellular structures assemble and dissemble.
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Krenger R, Burri JT, Lehnert T, Nelson BJ, Gijs MAM. Force microscopy of the Caenorhabditis elegans embryonic eggshell. MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2020; 6:29. [PMID: 32382445 PMCID: PMC7196560 DOI: 10.1038/s41378-020-0137-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Assays focusing on emerging biological phenomena in an animal's life can be performed during embryogenesis. While the embryo of Caenorhabditis elegans has been extensively studied, its biomechanical properties are largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that cellular force microscopy (CFM), a recently developed technique that combines micro-indentation with high resolution force sensing approaching that of atomic force microscopy, can be successfully applied to C. elegans embryos. We performed, for the first time, a quantitative study of the mechanical properties of the eggshell of living C. elegans embryos and demonstrate the capability of the system to detect alterations of its mechanical parameters and shell defects upon chemical treatments. In addition to investigating natural eggshells, we applied different eggshell treatments, i.e., exposure to sodium hypochlorite and chitinase solutions, respectively, that selectively modified the multilayer eggshell structure, in order to evaluate the impact of the different layers on the mechanical integrity of the embryo. Finite element method simulations based on a simple embryo model were used to extract characteristic eggshell parameters from the experimental micro-indentation force-displacement curves. We found a strong correlation between the severity of the chemical treatment and the rigidity of the shell. Furthermore, our results showed, in contrast to previous assumptions, that short bleach treatments not only selectively remove the outermost vitelline layer of the eggshell, but also significantly degenerate the underlying chitin layer, which is primarily responsible for the mechanical stability of the egg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger Krenger
- Laboratory of Microsystems, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jan T. Burri
- Multi-Scale Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Zürich, 8092 Switzerland
| | - Thomas Lehnert
- Laboratory of Microsystems, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Bradley J. Nelson
- Multi-Scale Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Zürich, 8092 Switzerland
| | - Martin A. M. Gijs
- Laboratory of Microsystems, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Yu CC(J, Barry NC, Wassie AT, Sinha A, Bhattacharya A, Asano S, Zhang C, Chen F, Hobert O, Goodman MB, Haspel G, Boyden ES. Expansion microscopy of C. elegans. eLife 2020; 9:e46249. [PMID: 32356725 PMCID: PMC7195193 DOI: 10.7554/elife.46249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We recently developed expansion microscopy (ExM), which achieves nanoscale-precise imaging of specimens at ~70 nm resolution (with ~4.5x linear expansion) by isotropic swelling of chemically processed, hydrogel-embedded tissue. ExM of C. elegans is challenged by its cuticle, which is stiff and impermeable to antibodies. Here we present a strategy, expansion of C. elegans (ExCel), to expand fixed, intact C. elegans. ExCel enables simultaneous readout of fluorescent proteins, RNA, DNA location, and anatomical structures at resolutions of ~65-75 nm (3.3-3.8x linear expansion). We also developed epitope-preserving ExCel, which enables imaging of endogenous proteins stained by antibodies, and iterative ExCel, which enables imaging of fluorescent proteins after 20x linear expansion. We demonstrate the utility of the ExCel toolbox for mapping synaptic proteins, for identifying previously unreported proteins at cell junctions, and for gene expression analysis in multiple individual neurons of the same animal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Chieh (Jay) Yu
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- McGovern Institute, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Nicholas C Barry
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- McGovern Institute, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Asmamaw T Wassie
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- McGovern Institute, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Anubhav Sinha
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- McGovern Institute, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Abhishek Bhattacharya
- Department of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Shoh Asano
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Chi Zhang
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- McGovern Institute, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Fei Chen
- Broad Institute of MIT and HarvardCambridgeUnited States
| | - Oliver Hobert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Miriam B Goodman
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Gal Haspel
- Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University-NewarkNewarkUnited States
- The Brain Research Institute, New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNewarkUnited States
| | - Edward S Boyden
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- McGovern Institute, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- Koch Institute, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
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Bruns AN, Lo SH. Tensin regulates pharyngeal pumping in Caenorhabditis elegans. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019; 522:599-603. [PMID: 31784086 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.11.153] [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: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Tensin is a focal adhesion molecule that is known to regulate cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation. Although there are four tensin homologs (TNS1, TNS2, TNS3, and CTEN/TNS4) in mammals, only one tensin gene is found in Caenorhabditis elegans. Sequence analysis suggests that Caenorhabditis elegans tensin is slightly closer aligned with human TNS1 than with other human tensins. To establish the role of TNS1 in Caenorhabditis elegans, we have generated TNS1 knockout (KO) worms by CRISPR-Cas9 and homologous recombination directed repair approaches. Lack of TNS1 does not appear to affect the development or gross morphology of the worms. Nonetheless, defecation cycles are significantly longer in TNS1 KO worms. In addition, their pharyngeal pumping rate is markedly faster, which is likely due to a shorter pump duration in the KO worms. These findings indicate that TNS1 is not required for the development and survival of Caenorhabditis elegans but point to a critical role in modulating defecation and pharyngeal pumping rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron N Bruns
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California-Davis, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
| | - Su Hao Lo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California-Davis, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
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Shi Y, Fan Z, Li G, Zhang L, Yue Z, Yan X, Xu A, Huang S. The family of amphioxus chitin synthases offers insight into the evolution of chitin formation in chordates. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2019; 143:106691. [PMID: 31759175 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106691] [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: 01/15/2019] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Chitin is a very important and widely-used biopolymer in fungi and lower metazoans, but mysteriously disappears in mammals. Recent studies reveal that at least lower vertebrates have chitin synthases (CS) and use them to synthesize endogenous chitin. Amphioxus, a basal chordate, therefore becomes critical to understand the evolution of CS, as it occupies the transitional position from invertebrates to vertebrates, and is considered as a good proxy to the chordate ancestor. Here, by exploiting multiple genome assemblies, high-depth RNA-seq data and synteny relations, we identify 11-12 CS genes for each amphioxus species. It represents the largest CS gene pool ever found in eukaryotes so far. As comparison, most metazoans have one or two CSs. Amphioxus is the only chordate that has both the very ancient type-I CS family and the more broadly distributed type-II CS family. Specifically, amphioxus has only one type-II CS but 10-11 type-I CSs, which means that amphioxus is the only metazoan with a greatly expanded type-I CS family. Further analysis suggests that the chordate ancestor have at least one type-II CS and an expanded of type-I CS family. We hypothesize that: these ancient CSs are mostly retained in amphioxus; but the whole type-I CS family was lost in urochordates and vertebrates; the type-II CS was later duplicated into two lineages in vertebrates and followed by stochastic losses, till all type-II CSs were eventually lost in birds and mammals. Finally, our expression profiling and preliminary gene knockout analysis suggest that amphioxus CSs could have highly diverse but mildly overlapping functions in various tissues and organs. Taken together, these findings not only provide insights into the evolution of chordate CSs, lay a foundation for further functional study of the chordate CSs. After all, it is mysterious that our chordate ancestor needed so many isoenzymes for chitin formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Zhaoyu Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Zirui Yue
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinyu Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Anlong Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shengfeng Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.
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Qiu X, Yang L, Ye J, Wang W, Zhao T, Hu H, Zhou G. Silencing of cyp-33C9 Gene Affects the Reproduction and Pathogenicity of the Pine Wood Nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E4520. [PMID: 31547281 PMCID: PMC6770203 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20184520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 09/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytochrome P450 genes are very important for plant-parasitic nematodes to reproduce and to metabolize xenobiotic compounds generated by their host plants. The pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, causes very high annual economic losses by killing large numbers of pine trees across Asia and into Europe. In this study, we used RNA interference (RNAi) to analyze the function of the cyp-33C9 gene of PWN. Our results showed that expression of the cyp-33C9 gene was suppressed successfully after soaking nematodes for 24 h in cyp-33C9 double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). The silencing of the cyp-33C9 gene significantly decreased the feeding, reproduction, oviposition and egg hatch of B. xylophilus. Meanwhile, the migration speed of B. xylophilus in Pinus thunbergii was reduced in the early stages when the cyp-33C9 gene was silenced in the nematodes. Moreover, knockdown of the cyp-33C9 gene in B. xylophilus caused a decrease in pathogenicity to pine trees. These results suggest that the cyp-33C9 gene plays an important role in the reproduction and pathogenicity of B. xylophilus. This discovery identified several functions of the cyp-33C9 gene in B. xylophilus and provided useful information for understanding the molecular mechanism behind pine wilt disease caused by PWN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuwen Qiu
- Poyang Lake Eco-economy Research Center, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang 332005, Jiangxi, China.
- College of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, Jiangxi, China.
- Office of Mountain-River-Lake Development Committee of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang 330046, Jiangxi, China.
| | - Lili Yang
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Jianren Ye
- College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Wei Wang
- Poyang Lake Eco-economy Research Center, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang 332005, Jiangxi, China.
| | - Tiantian Zhao
- Poyang Lake Eco-economy Research Center, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang 332005, Jiangxi, China.
| | - Hao Hu
- Poyang Lake Eco-economy Research Center, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang 332005, Jiangxi, China.
| | - Guixiang Zhou
- Poyang Lake Eco-economy Research Center, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang 332005, Jiangxi, China.
- College of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, Jiangxi, China.
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Melesse M, Bembenek JN. Cracking the eggshell: A novel link to intracellular signaling. Dev Biol 2019; 453:107-109. [PMID: 31181194 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Melesse
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, UT Knoxville, 414 Mossman Building, 1311 Cumberland Ave, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Joshua N Bembenek
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, UT Knoxville, 414 Mossman Building, 1311 Cumberland Ave, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
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Kanaki N, Matsuda A, Dejima K, Murata D, Nomura KH, Ohkura T, Gengyo-Ando K, Yoshina S, Mitani S, Nomura K. UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-dolichyl-phosphate N-acetylglucosaminephosphotransferase is indispensable for oogenesis, oocyte-to-embryo transition, and larval development of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Glycobiology 2019; 29:163-178. [PMID: 30445613 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwy104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
N-linked glycosylation of proteins is the most common post-translational modification of proteins. The enzyme UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-dolichyl-phosphate N-acetylglucosaminephosphotransferase (DPAGT1) catalyses the first step of N-glycosylation, and DPAGT1 knockout is embryonic lethal in mice. In this study, we identified the sole orthologue (algn-7) of the human DPAGT1 in the nematode C. elegans. The gene activity was disrupted by RNAi and deletion mutagenesis, which resulted in larval lethality, defects in oogenesis and oocyte-to-embryo transition. Endomitotic oocytes, abnormal fusion of pronuclei, abnormal AB cell rotation, disruption of permeation barriers of eggs, and abnormal expression of chitin and chitin synthase in oocytes and eggs were the typical phenotypes observed. The results indicate that N-glycosylation is indispensable for these processes. We further screened an N-glycosylated protein database of C. elegans, and identified 456 germline-expressed genes coding N-glycosylated proteins. By examining RNAi phenotypes, we identified five germline-expressed genes showing similar phenotypes to the algn-7 (RNAi) animals. They were ribo-1, stt-3, ptc-1, ptc-2, and vha-19. We identified known congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) genes (ribo-1 and stt-3) and a recently found CDG gene (vha-19). The results show that phenotype analyses using the nematode could be a powerful tool to detect new CDG candidate genes and their associated gene networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanako Kanaki
- Department of Systems Life Sciences, Kyushu University Graduate School, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Ayako Matsuda
- Department of Systems Life Sciences, Kyushu University Graduate School, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Katsufumi Dejima
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.,Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Daisuke Murata
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kazuko H Nomura
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Takashi Ohkura
- Department of Reproductive Biology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, 2-10-1 Okura, Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keiko Gengyo-Ando
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sawako Yoshina
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shohei Mitani
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuya Nomura
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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Choi S, Ambros V. The C. elegans heterochronic gene lin-28 coordinates the timing of hypodermal and somatic gonadal programs for hermaphrodite reproductive system morphogenesis. Development 2019; 146:dev164293. [PMID: 30745431 PMCID: PMC6432661 DOI: 10.1242/dev.164293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
C. elegans heterochronic genes determine the timing of expression of specific cell fates in particular stages of developing larvae. However, their broader roles in coordinating developmental events across diverse tissues have been less well investigated. Here, we show that loss of lin-28, a central heterochronic regulator of hypodermal development, causes reduced fertility associated with abnormal somatic gonadal morphology. In particular, the abnormal spermatheca-uterine valve morphology of lin-28(lf) hermaphrodites traps embryos in the spermatheca, which disrupts ovulation and causes embryonic lethality. The same genes that act downstream of lin-28 in the regulation of hypodermal developmental timing also act downstream of lin-28 in somatic gonadal morphogenesis and fertility. Importantly, we find that hypodermal expression, but not somatic gonadal expression, of lin-28 is sufficient for restoring normal somatic gonadal morphology in lin-28(lf) mutants. We propose that the abnormal somatic gonadal morphogenesis of lin-28(lf) hermaphrodites results from temporal discoordination between the accelerated hypodermal development and normally timed somatic gonadal development. Thus, our findings exemplify how a cell-intrinsic developmental timing program can also control proper development of other interacting tissues, presumably by cell non-autonomous signal(s). This article has an associated 'The people behind the papers' interview.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungwook Choi
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Victor Ambros
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
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Page AP, Roberts M, Félix MA, Pickard D, Page A, Weir W. The golden death bacillus Chryseobacterium nematophagum is a novel matrix digesting pathogen of nematodes. BMC Biol 2019; 17:10. [PMID: 30813925 PMCID: PMC6394051 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-019-0632-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nematodes represent important pathogens of humans and farmed animals and cause significant health and economic impacts. The control of nematodes is primarily carried out by applying a limited number of anthelmintic compounds, for which there is now widespread resistance being reported. There is a current unmet need to develop novel control measures including the identification and characterisation of natural pathogens of nematodes. RESULTS Nematode killing bacilli were isolated from a rotten fruit in association with wild free-living nematodes. These bacteria belong to the Chryseobacterium genus (golden bacteria) and represent a new species named Chryseobacterium nematophagum. These bacilli are oxidase-positive, flexirubin-pigmented, gram-negative rods that exhibit gelatinase activity. Caenorhabditis elegans are attracted to and eat these bacteria. Within 3 h of ingestion, however, the bacilli have degraded the anterior pharyngeal chitinous lining and entered the body cavity, ultimately killing the host. Within 24 h, the internal contents of the worms are digested followed by the final digestion of the remaining cuticle over a 2-3-day period. These bacteria will also infect and kill bacterivorous free-living (L1-L3) stages of all tested parasitic nematodes including the important veterinary Trichostrongylids such as Haemonchus contortus and Ostertagia ostertagi. The bacteria exhibit potent collagen-digesting properties, and genome sequencing has identified novel metalloprotease, collagenase and chitinase enzymes representing potential virulence factors. CONCLUSIONS Chryseobacterium nematophagum is a newly discovered pathogen of nematodes that rapidly kills environmental stages of a wide range of key nematode parasites. These bacilli exhibit a unique invasion process, entering the body via the anterior pharynx through the specific degradation of extracellular matrices. This bacterial pathogen represents a prospective biological control agent for important nematode parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antony P Page
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
| | - Mark Roberts
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK
| | - Marie-Anne Félix
- Institute of Biology of the Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Paris, France
| | - Derek Pickard
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andrew Page
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - William Weir
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK
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Sato K, Kadota Y, Shirasu K. Plant Immune Responses to Parasitic Nematodes. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:1165. [PMID: 31616453 PMCID: PMC6775239 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs), such as root-knot nematodes (RKNs) and cyst nematodes (CNs), are among the most devastating pests in agriculture. RKNs and CNs induce redifferentiation of root cells into feeding cells, which provide water and nutrients to these nematodes. Plants trigger immune responses to PPN infection by recognizing PPN invasion through several different but complementary systems. Plants recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) sderived from PPNs by cell surface-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), leading to pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). Plants can also recognize tissue and cellular damage caused by invasion or migration of PPNs through PRR-based recognition of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Resistant plants have the added ability to recognize PPN effectors via intracellular nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat (NLR)-type immune receptors, leading to NLR-triggered immunity. Some PRRs may also recognize apoplastic PPN effectors and induce PTI. Plant immune responses against PPNs include the secretion of anti-nematode enzymes, the production of anti-nematode compounds, cell wall reinforcement, production of reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide, and hypersensitive response-mediated cell death. In this review, we summarize the recognition mechanisms for PPN infection and what is known about PPN-induced immune responses in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuki Sato
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Kadota
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Japan
- *Correspondence: Yasuhiro Kadota, ; Ken Shirasu,
| | - Ken Shirasu
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Japan
- Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Japan
- *Correspondence: Yasuhiro Kadota, ; Ken Shirasu,
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44
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Chitin Prevalence and Function in Bacteria, Fungi and Protists. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1142:19-59. [DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-7318-3_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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45
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Cohen JD, Flatt KM, Schroeder NE, Sundaram MV. Epithelial Shaping by Diverse Apical Extracellular Matrices Requires the Nidogen Domain Protein DEX-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2019; 211:185-200. [PMID: 30409789 PMCID: PMC6325709 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.118.301752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The body's external surfaces and the insides of biological tubes, like the vascular system, are lined by a lipid-, glycoprotein-, and glycosaminoglycan-rich apical extracellular matrix (aECM). aECMs are the body's first line of defense against infectious agents and promote tissue integrity and morphogenesis, but are poorly described relative to basement membranes and stromal ECMs. While some aECM components, such as zona pellucida (ZP) domain proteins, have been identified, little is known regarding the overall composition of the aECM or the mechanisms by which different aECM components work together to shape epithelial tissues. In Caenorhabditis elegans, external epithelia develop in the context of an ill-defined ZP-containing aECM that precedes secretion of the collagenous cuticle. C. elegans has 43 genes that encode at least 65 unique ZP proteins, and we show that some of these comprise distinct precuticle aECMs in the embryo. Previously, the nidogen- and EGF-domain protein DEX-1 was shown to anchor dendrites to the C. elegans nose tip in concert with the ZP protein DYF-7 Here, we identified a new, strong loss-of-function allele of dex-1, cs201dex-1 mutants die as L1 larvae and have a variety of tissue distortion phenotypes, including excretory defects, pharyngeal ingression, alae defects, and a short and fat body shape, that strongly resemble those of genes encoding ZP proteins. DEX-1 localizes to ZP-containing aECMs in the tissues that show defects in dex-1 mutants. Our studies suggest that DEX-1 is a component of multiple distinct embryonic aECMs that shape developing epithelia, and a potential partner of multiple ZP proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer D Cohen
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Kristen M Flatt
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 61801-4730
| | - Nathan E Schroeder
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 61801-4730
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 61801-4730
| | - Meera V Sundaram
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
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Abstract
Chitin is a linear polysaccharide of the amino sugar N-acetyl glucosamine. It is present in the extracellular matrix of a variety of invertebrates including sponges, molluscs, nematodes and arthropods and fungi. Generally, it is an important component of protective or supportive extracellular matrices that cover the tissue that produces it or the whole body of the organism. Chitin fibres associate with each other adopting one of three possible crystalline organisations, i.e. α-, β- or γ-chitin. Usually, chitin fibre bundles interact with chitin-binding proteins forming higher order structures. Chitin laminae, which are two-dimensional sheets of α-chitin crystals with antiparallel running chitin fibres in association with β-folded proteins, are primary constituents of the arthropod cuticle and the fibrous extracellular matrix in sponges. A tri-dimensional composite material of proteins coacervates and β-chitin constitute hard biomaterials such as the squid beak. The molecular composition of γ-chitin-based structures that contribute to the physical barrier found in insect cocoons is less well studied. In principle, chitin is a versatile extracellular polysaccharide that in association with proteins defines the mechanical properties of tissues and organisms.
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Chen Q, Peng D. Nematode Chitin and Application. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1142:209-219. [PMID: 31102248 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-7318-3_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Plant-parasitic nematode infection is a global problem for agriculture and forestry. There is clearly a need for novel nematicides, because of the pitifully small repertoire of nematicides available and the effectiveness of losing or environmental prohibition of these nematicides. Chitin is the essential component of nematode eggshell and pharynx. The disturbance of chitin synthesis or hydrolysis led to nematode embryonic lethal, laying defective eggs or moulting failure. Thus, the key components in the chitin metabolic process are promising targets for anti-nematode agent's development. In this chapter, we focus on chitin and chitin synthase of nematodes, chitinases and their roles in nematode survival and application of chitin in nematode control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Chen
- Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Deliang Peng
- Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China.
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González DP, Lamb HV, Partida D, Wilson ZT, Harrison MC, Prieto JA, Moresco JJ, Diedrich JK, Yates JR, Olson SK. CBD-1 organizes two independent complexes required for eggshell vitelline layer formation and egg activation in C. elegans. Dev Biol 2018; 442:288-300. [PMID: 30120927 PMCID: PMC6143425 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2018.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Revised: 08/04/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Metazoan eggs have a specialized coat of extracellular matrix that aids in sperm-egg recognition. The coat is rapidly remodeled after fertilization to prevent polyspermy and establish a more permanent barrier to protect the developing embryo. In nematodes, this coat is called the vitelline layer, which is remodeled into the outermost layer of a rigid and impermeable eggshell. We have identified three key components of the vitelline layer structural scaffold - PERM-2, PERM-4 and CBD-1, the first such proteins to be described in the nematode C. elegans. CBD-1 tethered PERM-2 and PERM-4 to the nascent vitelline layer via two N-terminal chitin-binding domains. After fertilization, all three proteins redistributed from the zygote surface to the outer eggshell. Depletion of PERM-2 and PERM-4 from the scaffold led to a porous vitelline layer that permitted soluble factors to leak through the eggshell and resulted in embryonic death. In addition to its role in vitelline layer assembly, CBD-1 is also known to anchor a protein complex required for fertilization and egg activation (EGG-1-5/CHS-1/MBK-2). We found the PERM complex and EGG complex to be functionally independent, and structurally organized through distinct domains of CBD-1. CBD-1 is thus a multifaceted regulator that promotes distinct aspects of vitelline layer assembly and egg activation. In sum, our findings characterize the first vitelline layer components in nematodes, and provide a foundation through which to explore both conserved and species-specific strategies used by animals to build protective barriers following fertilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delfina P González
- Department of Biology and Program in Molecular Biology, Pomona College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Helen V Lamb
- Department of Biology and Program in Molecular Biology, Pomona College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Diana Partida
- Department of Biology and Program in Molecular Biology, Pomona College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Zachary T Wilson
- Department of Biology and Program in Molecular Biology, Pomona College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Marie-Claire Harrison
- Department of Biology and Program in Molecular Biology, Pomona College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - Julián A Prieto
- Department of Biology and Program in Molecular Biology, Pomona College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
| | - James J Moresco
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jolene K Diedrich
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - John R Yates
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Sara K Olson
- Department of Biology and Program in Molecular Biology, Pomona College, Claremont, CA 91711, USA.
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49
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Abstract
In all animals, oocytes are surrounded by an extracellular matrix upon fertilization. This matrix serves similar purposes in each animal. It functions to mediate sperm binding, to prevent polyspermy, to control the chemical environment of the embryo, and to provide physical protection to the embryo as it developes. The synthesis of the C. elegans matrix, or eggshell, begins when the oocyte enters the spermatheca and is fertilized by a single sperm. The process of eggshell synthesis is thought to take place during the completion of the maternal meiotic divisions such that the multi-layered eggshell is completed by anaphase II. The synthesis of the eggshell occurs in a hierarchical pattern in which the outermost layers are synthesized first in order to capture and retain the innermost layers as they form. Recent studies have revealed that the lipid-rich permeability barrier is distinct from the outer trilaminar eggshell. These new findings alter our previous understanding of the eggshell. This chapter aims to define each of the eggshell layers and the molecules that are known to play significant roles in their formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn K Stein
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Andy Golden
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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50
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Aras BS, Zhou YC, Dawes A, Chou CS. The importance of mechanical constraints for proper polarization and psuedo-cleavage furrow generation in the early Caenorhabditis elegans embryo. PLoS Comput Biol 2018; 14:e1006294. [PMID: 29985915 PMCID: PMC6053242 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Intracellular polarization, where a cell specifies a spatial axis by segregation of specific factors, is a fundamental biological process. In the early embryo of the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), polarization is often accompanied by deformations of the cortex, a highly contractile structure consisting of actin filaments cross-linked by the motor protein myosin (actomyosin). It has been suggested that the eggshell surrounding the early embryo plays a role in polarization although its function is not understood. Here we develop a mathematical model which couples a reaction-diffusion model of actomyosin dynamics with a phase field model of the cell cortex to implicitly track cell shape changes in the early C. elegans embryo. We investigate the potential rigidity effect of the geometric constraint imposed by the presence and size of the eggshell on polarization dynamics. Our model suggests that the geometric constraint of the eggshell is essential for proper polarization and the size of the eggshell also affects the dynamics of polarization. Therefore, we conclude that geometric constraint on a cell might affect the dynamics of a biochemical process. Polarization, whereby molecules and proteins are asymmetrically distributed throughout the cell, is a vital process for many cellular functions. In the early C. elegans embryo the asymmetric distribution of cell cytoskeleton during the initiation of polarization leads to asymmetric contractions which are higher in the anterior and lower in the posterior of a cell. The C. elegans embryo is surrounded by a rigid body, the eggshell, which functions in numerous cell processes. We investigate the structural support of eggshell during the establishment phase by tracking the moving cell surface. We incorporate protein dynamics involved in polarization into the membrane evolution. We conclude that eggshell might have a role in cell polarization by preventing the distortion of cell surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betül Senay Aras
- Department of Mathematics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Y C Zhou
- Department of Mathematics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Adriana Dawes
- Department of Mathematics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America.,Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Ching-Shan Chou
- Department of Mathematics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
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