1
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Sheloukhova L, Watanabe H. Evolution of glial cells: a non-bilaterian perspective. Neural Dev 2024; 19:10. [PMID: 38907299 PMCID: PMC11193209 DOI: 10.1186/s13064-024-00184-4] [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: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Nervous systems of bilaterian animals generally consist of two cell types: neurons and glial cells. Despite accumulating data about the many important functions glial cells serve in bilaterian nervous systems, the evolutionary origin of this abundant cell type remains unclear. Current hypotheses regarding glial evolution are mostly based on data from model bilaterians. Non-bilaterian animals have been largely overlooked in glial studies and have been subjected only to morphological analysis. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of conservation of the bilateral gliogenic genetic repertoire of non-bilaterian phyla (Cnidaria, Placozoa, Ctenophora, and Porifera). We overview molecular and functional features of bilaterian glial cell types and discuss their possible evolutionary history. We then examine which glial features are present in non-bilaterians. Of these, cnidarians show the highest degree of gliogenic program conservation and may therefore be crucial to answer questions about glial evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larisa Sheloukhova
- Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa, 904-0412, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Watanabe
- Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa, 904-0412, Japan.
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2
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Sabin KZ, Chen S, Hill EM, Weaver KJ, Yonke J, Kirkman M, Redwine WB, Klompen AML, Zhao X, Guo F, McKinney MC, Dewey JL, Gibson MC. Graded FGF activity patterns distinct cell types within the apical sensory organ of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Dev Biol 2024; 510:50-65. [PMID: 38521499 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2024.02.010] [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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Bilaterian animals have evolved complex sensory organs comprised of distinct cell types that function coordinately to sense the environment. Each sensory unit has a defined architecture built from component cell types, including sensory cells, non-sensory support cells, and dedicated sensory neurons. Whether this characteristic cellular composition is present in the sensory organs of non-bilaterian animals is unknown. Here, we interrogate the cell type composition and gene regulatory networks controlling development of the larval apical sensory organ in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Using single cell RNA sequencing and imaging approaches, we reveal two unique cell types in the Nematostella apical sensory organ, GABAergic sensory cells and a putative non-sensory support cell population. Further, we identify the paired-like (PRD) homeodomain gene prd146 as a specific sensory cell marker and show that Prd146+ sensory cells become post-mitotic after gastrulation. Genetic loss of function approaches show that Prd146 is essential for apical sensory organ development. Using a candidate gene knockdown approach, we place prd146 downstream of FGF signaling in the apical sensory organ gene regulatory network. Further, we demonstrate that an aboral FGF activity gradient coordinately regulates the specification of both sensory and support cells. Collectively, these experiments define the genetic basis for apical sensory organ development in a non-bilaterian animal and reveal an unanticipated degree of complexity in a prototypic sensory structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith Z Sabin
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Shiyuan Chen
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Eric M Hill
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Kyle J Weaver
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Jacob Yonke
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | | | | | | | - Xia Zhao
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Fengli Guo
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | | | | | - Matthew C Gibson
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
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3
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Foster B, Hugosson F, Scucchia F, Enjolras C, Babonis LS, Hoaen W, Martindale MQ. A novel in vivo system to study coral biomineralization in the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis. iScience 2024; 27:109131. [PMID: 38384856 PMCID: PMC10879693 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Coral conservation requires a mechanistic understanding of how environmental stresses disrupt biomineralization, but progress has been slow, primarily because corals are not easily amenable to laboratory research. Here, we highlight how the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis, can serve as a model to interrogate the cellular mechanisms of coral biomineralization. We have developed transgenic constructs using biomineralizing genes that can be injected into Nematostella zygotes and designed such that translated proteins may be purified for physicochemical characterization. Using fluorescent tags, we confirm the ectopic expression of the coral biomineralizing protein, SpCARP1, in Nematostella. We demonstrate via calcein staining that SpCARP1 concentrates calcium ions in Nematostella, likely initiating the formation of mineral precursors, consistent with its suspected role in corals. These results lay a fundamental groundwork for establishing Nematostella as an in vivo system to explore the evolutionary and cellular mechanisms of coral biomineralization, improve coral conservation efforts, and even develop novel biomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent Foster
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32080, USA
| | - Fredrik Hugosson
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32080, USA
| | - Federica Scucchia
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32080, USA
| | - Camille Enjolras
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32080, USA
- Institute of Human Genetics, CNRS, Montpellier 34090, France
| | - Leslie S. Babonis
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32080, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - William Hoaen
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Mark Q. Martindale
- The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32080, USA
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4
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Najle SR, Grau-Bové X, Elek A, Navarrete C, Cianferoni D, Chiva C, Cañas-Armenteros D, Mallabiabarrena A, Kamm K, Sabidó E, Gruber-Vodicka H, Schierwater B, Serrano L, Sebé-Pedrós A. Stepwise emergence of the neuronal gene expression program in early animal evolution. Cell 2023; 186:4676-4693.e29. [PMID: 37729907 PMCID: PMC10580291 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.08.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
The assembly of the neuronal and other major cell type programs occurred early in animal evolution. We can reconstruct this process by studying non-bilaterians like placozoans. These small disc-shaped animals not only have nine morphologically described cell types and no neurons but also show coordinated behaviors triggered by peptide-secreting cells. We investigated possible neuronal affinities of these peptidergic cells using phylogenetics, chromatin profiling, and comparative single-cell genomics in four placozoans. We found conserved cell type expression programs across placozoans, including populations of transdifferentiating and cycling cells, suggestive of active cell type homeostasis. We also uncovered fourteen peptidergic cell types expressing neuronal-associated components like the pre-synaptic scaffold that derive from progenitor cells with neurogenesis signatures. In contrast, earlier-branching animals like sponges and ctenophores lacked this conserved expression. Our findings indicate that key neuronal developmental and effector gene modules evolved before the advent of cnidarian/bilaterian neurons in the context of paracrine cell signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián R Najle
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xavier Grau-Bové
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anamaria Elek
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina Navarrete
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Damiano Cianferoni
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina Chiva
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Didac Cañas-Armenteros
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Arrate Mallabiabarrena
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Kai Kamm
- Institute of Animal Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Eduard Sabidó
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Harald Gruber-Vodicka
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany; Zoological Institute, Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Bernd Schierwater
- Institute of Animal Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany; American Museum of Natural History, Richard Gilder Graduate School, NY, USA
| | - Luis Serrano
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; ICREA, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Arnau Sebé-Pedrós
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; ICREA, Barcelona, Spain.
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5
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Lemaître QIB, Bartsch N, Kouzel IU, Busengdal H, Richards GS, Steinmetz PRH, Rentzsch F. NvPrdm14d-expressing neural progenitor cells contribute to non-ectodermal neurogenesis in Nematostella vectensis. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4854. [PMID: 37563174 PMCID: PMC10415408 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39789-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurogenesis has been studied extensively in the ectoderm, from which most animals generate the majority of their neurons. Neurogenesis from non-ectodermal tissue is, in contrast, poorly understood. Here we use the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis as a model to provide new insights into the molecular regulation of non-ectodermal neurogenesis. We show that the transcription factor NvPrdm14d is expressed in a subpopulation of NvSoxB(2)-expressing endodermal progenitor cells and their NvPOU4-expressing progeny. Using a new transgenic reporter line, we show that NvPrdm14d-expressing cells give rise to neurons in the body wall and in close vicinity of the longitudinal retractor muscles. RNA-sequencing of NvPrdm14d::GFP-expressing cells and gene knockdown experiments provide candidate genes for the development and function of these neurons. Together, the identification of a population of endoderm-specific neural progenitor cells and of previously undescribed putative motoneurons in Nematostella provide new insights into the regulation of non-ectodermal neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin I B Lemaître
- Michael Sars Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, 5006, Bergen, Norway
| | - Natascha Bartsch
- Michael Sars Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, 5006, Bergen, Norway
- Department for Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, 5006, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ian U Kouzel
- Michael Sars Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, 5006, Bergen, Norway
| | - Henriette Busengdal
- Michael Sars Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, 5006, Bergen, Norway
| | - Gemma Sian Richards
- Michael Sars Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, 5006, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Fabian Rentzsch
- Michael Sars Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, 5006, Bergen, Norway.
- Department for Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, 5006, Bergen, Norway.
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6
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Mittal V, Reid RW, Machado DJ, Mashanov V, Janies DA. EchinoDB: an update to the web-based application for genomic and transcriptomic data on echinoderms. BMC Genom Data 2022; 23:75. [PMID: 36274129 PMCID: PMC9590158 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-022-01090-6] [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: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Here we release a new version of EchinoDB, EchinoDB v2.0 ( https://echinodb.uncc.edu ). EchinoDB is a database of genomic and transcriptomic data on echinoderms. The initial database consisted of groups of 749,397 orthologous and paralogous transcripts arranged in orthoclusters by sequence similarity. RESULTS The updated version of EchinoDB includes two new major datasets: the RNA-Seq data of the brittle star Ophioderma brevispinum and the high-quality genomic assembly data of the green sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus. In addition, we enabled keyword searches for annotated data and installed an updated version of Sequenceserver to allow Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) searches. The data are downloadable in FASTA format. The first version of EchinoDB appeared in 2016 and was implemented in GO on a local server. The new version has been updated using R Shiny to include new features and improvements in the application. Furthermore, EchinoDB now runs entirely in the cloud for increased reliability and scaling. CONCLUSION EchinoDB serves a user base drawn from the fields of phylogenetics, developmental biology, genomics, physiology, neurobiology, and regeneration. As use cases, we illustrate the function of EchinoDB in retrieving components of signaling pathways involved in the tissue regeneration process of different echinoderms, including the emerging model species Ophioderma brevispinum. Moreover, we use EchinoDB to shed light on the conservation of the molecular components involved in two echinoderm-specific phenomena: spicule matrix proteins involved in the formation of stereom endoskeleton and the tensilin protein that contributes to the capacity of the connective tissues to quickly change its mechanical properties. The genes involved in the former had been previously studied in echinoids, while gene sequences involved in the latter had been previously described in holothuroids. Specifically, we ask (a) if the biomineralization-related proteins previously reported only in sea urchins are also present in other, non-echinoid, echinoderms and (b) if tensilin, the protein responsible for the control of stiffness of the mutable collagenous tissue, previously described in sea cucumbers, is conserved across the phylum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varnika Mittal
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, College of Computing and Informatics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9331 Robert D. Snyder Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA.
| | - Robert W Reid
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, College of Computing and Informatics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9331 Robert D. Snyder Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - Denis Jacob Machado
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, College of Computing and Informatics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9331 Robert D. Snyder Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - Vladimir Mashanov
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, 91 Technology Way NE, Winston-Salem, NC, 27101, USA
| | - Daniel A Janies
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, College of Computing and Informatics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9331 Robert D. Snyder Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
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7
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Mashanov V, Machado DJ, Reid R, Brouwer C, Kofsky J, Janies DA. Twinkle twinkle brittle star: the draft genome of Ophioderma brevispinum (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) as a resource for regeneration research. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:574. [PMID: 35953768 PMCID: PMC9367165 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08750-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Echinoderms are established models in experimental and developmental biology, however genomic resources are still lacking for many species. Here, we present the draft genome of Ophioderma brevispinum, an emerging model organism in the field of regenerative biology. This new genomic resource provides a reference for experimental studies of regenerative mechanisms. Results We report a de novo nuclear genome assembly for the brittle star O. brevispinum and annotation facilitated by the transcriptome assembly. The final assembly is 2.68 Gb in length and contains 146,703 predicted protein-coding gene models. We also report a mitochondrial genome for this species, which is 15,831 bp in length, and contains 13 protein-coding, 22 tRNAs, and 2 rRNAs genes, respectively. In addition, 29 genes of the Notch signaling pathway are identified to illustrate the practical utility of the assembly for studies of regeneration. Conclusions The sequenced and annotated genome of O. brevispinum presented here provides the first such resource for an ophiuroid model species. Considering the remarkable regenerative capacity of this species, this genome will be an essential resource in future research efforts on molecular mechanisms regulating regeneration. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at (10.1186/s12864-022-08750-y).
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Mashanov
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, 391 Technology Way, Winston-Salem, 27101, NC, USA. .,University of North Florida, Department of Biology, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, 32224, FL, USA.
| | - Denis Jacob Machado
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, College of Computing and Informatics, Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, 28223, NC, USA
| | - Robert Reid
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, College of Computing and Informatics, North Carolina Research Campus, 150 Research Campus Drive, Kannapolis, 28081, NC, USA
| | - Cory Brouwer
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, College of Computing and Informatics, North Carolina Research Campus, 150 Research Campus Drive, Kannapolis, 28081, NC, USA
| | - Janice Kofsky
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, College of Computing and Informatics, Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, 28223, NC, USA
| | - Daniel A Janies
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, College of Computing and Informatics, Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, 28223, NC, USA
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8
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Woo S, Yum S. Transcriptional response of the azooxanthellate octocoral Scleronephthya gracillimum to seawater acidification and thermal stress. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PART D, GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2022; 42:100978. [PMID: 35259638 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2022.100978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The stress responses to increased seawater temperature and marine acidification were investigated using a microarray to reveal transcriptional changes in S. gracillimum. For the study, corals were exposed to different stress experiments; high temperature only (26 °C, 28 °C and 30 °C), low-pH only (pH 7.5, pH 7.0 and pH 6.5) and dual stress experiments (28 °C + pH 7.8, 28 °C + pH 7.5 and 28 °C + pH 7.0), mortality and morphological changes in 24 h exposure experiments were investigated. The survival rates of each experimental group were observed. The gene expression changes in single and dual stress exposed coals were measured and the differentially expressed genes were classified with gene ontology analysis. The top three enriched gene ontology terms of DEGs in response to dual stress were metal ion binding (23.4%), extracellular region (17.2%), and calcium ion binding (12.8%). The gene showing the greatest increase in expression as a response to the dual stress was hemagglutinin/amebocyte aggregation factor, followed by interferon-inducible GTPase 5 and the gene showing the greatest decrease as a response to the dual stress was Fas-associating death domain-containing protein, followed by oxidase 2. These results represented the transcriptomic study focused on the stress responses of the temperate asymbiotic soft coral exposed to single and dual stresses. The combined effect of thermal and acidification stress on corals triggered the negative regulation of ion binding and extracellular matrix coding genes and these genes might serve as a basis for research into coral-specific adaptations to stress responses and global climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seonock Woo
- Marine Biotechnology Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Busan 49111, South Korea
| | - Seungshic Yum
- Ecological Risk Research Division, Korea Institute of Ocean Sciences and Technology, Geoje 53201, South Korea; KIOST School, University of Science and Technology, Geoje 53201, South Korea.
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9
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Tournière O, Gahan JM, Busengdal H, Bartsch N, Rentzsch F. Insm1-expressing neurons and secretory cells develop from a common pool of progenitors in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabi7109. [PMID: 35442742 PMCID: PMC9020782 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abi7109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Neurons are highly specialized cells present in nearly all animals, but their evolutionary origin and relationship to other cell types are not well understood. We use here the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis as a model system for early-branching animals to gain fresh insights into the evolutionary history of neurons. We generated a transgenic reporter line to show that the transcription factor NvInsm1 is expressed in postmitotic cells that give rise to various types of neurons and secretory cells. Expression analyses, double transgenics, and gene knockdown experiments show that the NvInsm1-expressing neurons and secretory cells derive from a common pool of NvSoxB(2)-positive progenitor cells. These findings, together with the requirement for Insm1 for the development of neurons and endocrine cells in vertebrates, support a close evolutionary relationship of neurons and secretory cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Océane Tournière
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, 5006 Bergen, Norway
| | - James M. Gahan
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, 5006 Bergen, Norway
| | - Henriette Busengdal
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, 5006 Bergen, Norway
| | - Natascha Bartsch
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, 5006 Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, 5006 Bergen, Norway
| | - Fabian Rentzsch
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, 5006 Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, 5006 Bergen, Norway
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10
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Holstein TW. The role of cnidarian developmental biology in unraveling axis formation and Wnt signaling. Dev Biol 2022; 487:74-98. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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11
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Erofeeva TV, Grigorenko AP, Gusev FE, Kosevich IA, Rogaev EI. Studying of Molecular Regulation of Developmental Processes of Lower Metazoans Exemplified by Cnidaria Using High-Throughput Sequencing. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2022; 87:269-293. [PMID: 35526848 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297922030075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A unique set of features and characteristics of species of the Cnidaria phylum is the one reason that makes them a model for a various studies. The plasticity of a life cycle and the processes of cell differentiation and development of an integral multicellular organism associated with it are of a specific scientific interest. A new stage of development of molecular genetic methods, including methods for high-throughput genome, transcriptome, and epigenome sequencing, both at the level of the whole organism and at the level of individual cells, makes it possible to obtain a detailed picture of the development of these animals. This review examines some modern approaches and advances in the reconstruction of the processes of ontogenesis of cnidarians by studying the regulatory signal transduction pathways and their interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taisia V Erofeeva
- Department Research Center for Genetics and Life Sciences, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sochi, Krasnodar Region, 354349, Russia
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Anastasia P Grigorenko
- Department Research Center for Genetics and Life Sciences, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sochi, Krasnodar Region, 354349, Russia.
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Fedor E Gusev
- Department Research Center for Genetics and Life Sciences, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sochi, Krasnodar Region, 354349, Russia
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Igor A Kosevich
- Department Research Center for Genetics and Life Sciences, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sochi, Krasnodar Region, 354349, Russia
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234, Russia
| | - Evgeny I Rogaev
- Department Research Center for Genetics and Life Sciences, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sochi, Krasnodar Region, 354349, Russia
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234, Russia
- Department of Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School, Shrewsbury, MA 01545, USA
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12
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Gahan JM, Kouzel IU, Jansen KO, Burkhardt P, Rentzsch F. Histone demethylase Lsd1 is required for the differentiation of neural cells in Nematostella vectensis. Nat Commun 2022; 13:465. [PMID: 35075108 PMCID: PMC8786827 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28107-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromatin regulation is a key process in development but its contribution to the evolution of animals is largely unexplored. Chromatin is regulated by a diverse set of proteins, which themselves are tightly regulated in a cell/tissue-specific manner. Using the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis as a basal metazoan model, we explore the function of one such chromatin regulator, Lysine specific demethylase 1 (Lsd1). We generated an endogenously tagged allele and show that NvLsd1 expression is developmentally regulated and higher in differentiated neural cells than their progenitors. We further show, using a CRISPR/Cas9 generated mutant that loss of NvLsd1 leads to developmental abnormalities. This includes the almost complete loss of differentiated cnidocytes, cnidarian-specific neural cells, as a result of a cell-autonomous requirement for NvLsd1. Together this suggests that the integration of chromatin modifying proteins into developmental regulation predates the split of the cnidarian and bilaterian lineages and constitutes an ancient feature of animal development. The evolutionary point where chromatin modifier function integrated into regulation of specific cell types is unclear. In the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis, the authors here show that lysine specific demethylase Lsd1 is developmentally regulated and required for normal development including cnidocyte differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Gahan
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt 55, 5006, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Ian U Kouzel
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt 55, 5006, Bergen, Norway
| | - Kamilla Ormevik Jansen
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt 55, 5006, Bergen, Norway
| | - Pawel Burkhardt
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt 55, 5006, Bergen, Norway
| | - Fabian Rentzsch
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt 55, 5006, Bergen, Norway. .,Department for Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt 53, 5006, Bergen, Norway.
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13
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Klein S, Frazier V, Readdean T, Lucas E, Diaz-Jimenez EP, Sogin M, Ruff ES, Echeverri K. Common Environmental Pollutants Negatively Affect Development and Regeneration in the Sea Anemone Nematostella vectensis Holobiont. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.786037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The anthozoan sea anemone Nematostella vectensis belongs to the phylum of cnidarians which also includes jellyfish and corals. Nematostella are native to United States East Coast marsh lands, where they constantly adapt to changes in salinity, temperature, oxygen concentration and pH. Its natural ability to continually acclimate to changing environments coupled with its genetic tractability render Nematostella a powerful model organism in which to study the effects of common pollutants on the natural development of these animals. Potassium nitrate, commonly used in fertilizers, and Phthalates, a component of plastics are frequent environmental stressors found in coastal and marsh waters. Here we present data showing how early exposure to these pollutants lead to dramatic defects in development of the embryos and eventual mortality possibly due to defects in feeding ability. Additionally, we examined the microbiome of the animals and identified shifts in the microbial community that correlated with the type of water that was used to grow the animals, and with their exposure to pollutants.
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14
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Alderdice R, Pernice M, Cárdenas A, Hughes DJ, Harrison PL, Boulotte N, Chartrand K, Kühl M, Suggett DJ, Voolstra CR. Hypoxia as a physiological cue and pathological stress for coral larvae. Mol Ecol 2021; 31:571-587. [PMID: 34716959 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Ocean deoxygenation events are intensifying worldwide and can rapidly drive adult corals into a state of metabolic crisis and bleaching-induced mortality, but whether coral larvae are subject to similar stress remains untested. We experimentally exposed apo-symbiotic coral larvae of Acropora selago to deoxygenation stress with subsequent reoxygenation aligned to their night-day light cycle, and followed their gene expression using RNA-Seq. After 12 h of deoxygenation stress (~2 mg O2 /L), coral planulae demonstrated a low expression of HIF-targeted hypoxia response genes concomitant with a significantly high expression of PHD2 (a promoter of HIFα proteasomal degradation), similar to corresponding adult corals. Despite exhibiting a consistent swimming phenotype compared to control samples, the differential gene expression observed in planulae exposed to deoxygenation-reoxygenation suggests a disruption of pathways involved in developmental regulation, mitochondrial activity, lipid metabolism, and O2 -sensitive epigenetic regulators. Importantly, we found that treated larvae exhibited a disruption in the expression of conserved HIF-targeted developmental regulators, for example, Homeobox (HOX) genes, corroborating how changes in external oxygen levels can affect animal development. We discuss how the observed deoxygenation responses may be indicative of a possible acclimation response or alternatively may imply negative latent impacts for coral larval fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Alderdice
- Faculty of Science, Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Mathieu Pernice
- Faculty of Science, Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Anny Cárdenas
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - David J Hughes
- Faculty of Science, Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Peter L Harrison
- Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia
| | - Nadine Boulotte
- Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia
| | - Katie Chartrand
- Centre of Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia
| | - Michael Kühl
- Faculty of Science, Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia.,Marine Biology Section, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Helsingør, Denmark
| | - David J Suggett
- Faculty of Science, Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
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15
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Sachslehner A, Zieger E, Calcino A, Wanninger A. HES and Mox genes are expressed during early mesoderm formation in a mollusk with putative ancestral features. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18030. [PMID: 34504115 PMCID: PMC8429573 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96711-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The mesoderm is considered the youngest of the three germ layers. Although its morphogenesis has been studied in some metazoans, the molecular components underlying this process remain obscure for numerous phyla including the highly diverse Mollusca. Here, expression of Hairy and enhancer of split (HES), Mox, and myosin heavy chain (MHC) was investigated in Acanthochitona fascicularis, a representative of Polyplacophora with putative ancestral molluscan features. While AfaMHC is expressed throughout myogenesis, AfaMox1 is only expressed during early stages of mesodermal band formation and in the ventrolateral muscle, an autapomorphy of the polyplacophoran trochophore. Comparing our findings to previously published data across Metazoa reveals Mox expression in the mesoderm in numerous bilaterians including gastropods, polychaetes, and brachiopods. It is also involved in myogenesis in molluscs, annelids, tunicates, and craniates, suggesting a dual role of Mox in mesoderm and muscle formation in the last common bilaterian ancestor. AfaHESC2 is expressed in the ectoderm of the polyplacophoran gastrula and later in the mesodermal bands and in putative neural tissue, whereas AfaHESC7 is expressed in the trochoblasts of the gastrula and during foregut formation. This confirms the high developmental variability of HES gene expression and demonstrates that Mox and HES genes are pleiotropic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Attila Sachslehner
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Unit for Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Zieger
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Unit for Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrew Calcino
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Unit for Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Wanninger
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Unit for Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
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16
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Moneer J, Siebert S, Krebs S, Cazet J, Prexl A, Pan Q, Juliano C, Böttger A. Differential gene regulation in DAPT-treated Hydra reveals candidate direct Notch signalling targets. J Cell Sci 2021; 134:jcs258768. [PMID: 34346482 PMCID: PMC8353520 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.258768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In Hydra, Notch inhibition causes defects in head patterning and prevents differentiation of proliferating nematocyte progenitor cells into mature nematocytes. To understand the molecular mechanisms by which the Notch pathway regulates these processes, we performed RNA-seq and identified genes that are differentially regulated in response to 48 h of treating the animals with the Notch inhibitor DAPT. To identify candidate direct regulators of Notch signalling, we profiled gene expression changes that occur during subsequent restoration of Notch activity and performed promoter analyses to identify RBPJ transcription factor-binding sites in the regulatory regions of Notch-responsive genes. Interrogating the available single-cell sequencing data set revealed the gene expression patterns of Notch-regulated Hydra genes. Through these analyses, a comprehensive picture of the molecular pathways regulated by Notch signalling in head patterning and in interstitial cell differentiation in Hydra emerged. As prime candidates for direct Notch target genes, in addition to Hydra (Hy)Hes, we suggest Sp5 and HyAlx. They rapidly recovered their expression levels after DAPT removal and possess Notch-responsive RBPJ transcription factor-binding sites in their regulatory regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmin Moneer
- Ludwig Maximilians-University Munich, Germany, Biocenter, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Großhaderner Str. 2, Germany
| | - Stefan Siebert
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Stefan Krebs
- Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Gene Center Munich, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 25 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Jack Cazet
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Andrea Prexl
- Ludwig Maximilians-University Munich, Germany, Biocenter, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Großhaderner Str. 2, Germany
| | - Qin Pan
- Ludwig Maximilians-University Munich, Germany, Biocenter, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Großhaderner Str. 2, Germany
| | - Celina Juliano
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Angelika Böttger
- Ludwig Maximilians-University Munich, Germany, Biocenter, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Großhaderner Str. 2, Germany
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17
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He X, Wu F, Zhang L, Li L, Zhang G. Comparative and evolutionary analyses reveal conservation and divergence of the notch pathway in lophotrochozoa. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11378. [PMID: 34059772 PMCID: PMC8166818 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90800-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Lophotrochozoan species exhibit wide morphological diversity; however, the molecular basis underlying this diversity remains unclear. Here, we explored the evolution of Notch pathway genes across 37 metazoan species via phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary studies with emphasis on the lophotrochozoans. We displayed the components of Notch pathway in metazoans and found that Delta and Hes/Hey-related genes, as well as their functional domains, are duplicated in lophotrochozoans. Comparative transcriptomics analyses allow us to pinpoint sequence divergence of multigene families in the Notch signalling pathway. We identified the duplication mechanism of a mollusc-specific gene, Delta2, and found it displayed complementary expression throughout development. Furthermore, we found the functional diversification not only in expanded genes in the Notch pathway (Delta and Hes/Hey-related genes), but also in evolutionary conservative genes (Notch, Presenilin, and Su(H)). Together, this comprehensive study demonstrates conservation and divergence within the Notch pathway, reveals evolutionary relationships among metazoans, and provides evidence for the occurrence of developmental diversity in lophotrochozoans, as well as a basis for future gene function studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin He
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, China
- The Innovation of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Fucun Wu
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China.
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Ecological Mariculture, Qingdao, 266071, China.
- The Innovation of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.
| | - Linlin Zhang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China.
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Ecological Mariculture, Qingdao, 266071, China.
| | - Li Li
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Ecological Mariculture, Qingdao, 266071, China
| | - Guofan Zhang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Ecological Mariculture, Qingdao, 266071, China
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18
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Yoshioka Y, Yamashita H, Suzuki G, Zayasu Y, Tada I, Kanda M, Satoh N, Shoguchi E, Shinzato C. Whole-Genome Transcriptome Analyses of Native Symbionts Reveal Host Coral Genomic Novelties for Establishing Coral-Algae Symbioses. Genome Biol Evol 2020; 13:5981117. [PMID: 33185681 PMCID: PMC7850063 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Reef-building corals and photosynthetic, endosymbiotic algae of the family Symbiodiniaceae establish mutualistic relationships that are fundamental to coral biology, enabling coral reefs to support a vast diversity of marine species. Although numerous types of Symbiodiniaceae occur in coral reef environments, Acropora corals select specific types in early life stages. In order to study molecular mechanisms of coral–algal symbioses occurring in nature, we performed whole-genome transcriptomic analyses of Acropora tenuis larvae inoculated with Symbiodinium microadriaticum strains isolated from an Acropora recruit. In order to identify genes specifically involved in symbioses with native symbionts in early life stages, we also investigated transcriptomic responses of Acropora larvae exposed to closely related, nonsymbiotic, and occasionally symbiotic Symbiodinium strains. We found that the number of differentially expressed genes was largest when larvae acquired native symbionts. Repertoires of differentially expressed genes indicated that corals reduced amino acid, sugar, and lipid metabolism, such that metabolic enzymes performing these functions were derived primarily from S. microadriaticum rather than from A. tenuis. Upregulated gene expression of transporters for those metabolites occurred only when coral larvae acquired their natural symbionts, suggesting active utilization of native symbionts by host corals. We also discovered that in Acropora, genes for sugar and amino acid transporters, prosaposin-like, and Notch ligand-like, were upregulated only in response to native symbionts, and included tandemly duplicated genes. Gene duplications in coral genomes may have been essential to establish genomic novelties for coral–algae symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Yoshioka
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan.,Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Yamashita
- Fisheries Technology Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Go Suzuki
- Fisheries Technology Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Yuna Zayasu
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Ipputa Tada
- Department of Genetics, SOKENDAI (Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Miyuki Kanda
- DNA Sequencing Section (SQC), Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Satoh
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Eiichi Shoguchi
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Chuya Shinzato
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
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19
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Ectopic activation of GABA B receptors inhibits neurogenesis and metamorphosis in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 5:111-121. [PMID: 33168995 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01338-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The metabotropic gamma-aminobutyric acid B receptor (GABABR) is a G protein-coupled receptor that mediates neuronal inhibition by the neurotransmitter GABA. While GABABR-mediated signalling has been suggested to play central roles in neuronal differentiation and proliferation across evolution, it has mostly been studied in the mammalian brain. Here, we demonstrate that ectopic activation of GABABR signalling affects neurogenic functions in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. We identified four putative Nematostella GABABR homologues presenting conserved three-dimensional extracellular domains and residues needed for binding GABA and the GABABR agonist baclofen. Moreover, sustained activation of GABABR signalling reversibly arrests the critical metamorphosis transition from planktonic larva to sessile polyp life stage. To understand the processes that underlie the developmental arrest, we combined transcriptomic and spatial analyses of control and baclofen-treated larvae. Our findings reveal that the cnidarian neurogenic programme is arrested following the addition of baclofen to developing larvae. Specifically, neuron development and neurite extension were inhibited, resulting in an underdeveloped and less organized nervous system and downregulation of proneural factors including NvSoxB(2), NvNeuroD1 and NvElav1. Our results thus point to an evolutionarily conserved function of GABABR in neurogenesis regulation and shed light on early cnidarian development.
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20
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Mashanov V, Akiona J, Khoury M, Ferrier J, Reid R, Machado DJ, Zueva O, Janies D. Active Notch signaling is required for arm regeneration in a brittle star. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0232981. [PMID: 32396580 PMCID: PMC7217437 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell signaling pathways play key roles in coordinating cellular events in development. The Notch signaling pathway is highly conserved across all multicellular animals and is known to coordinate a multitude of diverse cellular events, including proliferation, differentiation, fate specification, and cell death. Specific functions of the pathway are, however, highly context-dependent and are not well characterized in post-traumatic regeneration. Here, we use a small-molecule inhibitor of the pathway (DAPT) to demonstrate that Notch signaling is required for proper arm regeneration in the brittle star Ophioderma brevispina, a highly regenerative member of the phylum Echinodermata. We also employ a transcriptome-wide gene expression analysis (RNA-seq) to characterize the downstream genes controlled by the Notch pathway in the brittle star regeneration. We demonstrate that arm regeneration involves an extensive cross-talk between the Notch pathway and other cell signaling pathways. In the regrowing arm, Notch regulates the composition of the extracellular matrix, cell migration, proliferation, and apoptosis, as well as components of the innate immune response. We also show for the first time that Notch signaling regulates the activity of several transposable elements. Our data also suggests that one of the possible mechanisms through which Notch sustains its activity in the regenerating tissues is via suppression of Neuralized1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Mashanov
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, United states of America
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, United states of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Jennifer Akiona
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, United states of America
| | - Maleana Khoury
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, United states of America
| | - Jacob Ferrier
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United states of America
| | - Robert Reid
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United states of America
| | - Denis Jacob Machado
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United states of America
| | - Olga Zueva
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, United states of America
| | - Daniel Janies
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United states of America
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21
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Rey S, Zalc B, Klämbt C. Evolution of glial wrapping: A new hypothesis. Dev Neurobiol 2020; 81:453-463. [PMID: 32133794 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Animals are able to move and react in numerous ways to external stimuli. Thus, environmental stimuli need to be detected, information must be processed and finally an output decision must be transmitted to the musculature to get the animal moving. All these processes depend on the nervous system which comprises an intricate neuronal network and many glial cells. In the last decades, a neurono-centric view on nervous system function channeled most of the scientific interest toward the analysis of neurons and neuronal functions. Neurons appeared early in animal evolution and the main principles of neuronal function from synaptic transmission to propagation of action potentials are conserved during evolution. In contrast, not much is known on the evolution of glial cells that were initially considered merely as static support cells. Although it is now accepted that glial cells have an equally important contribution as their neuronal counterpart to nervous system function, their evolutionary origin is unknown. Did glial cells appear several times during evolution? What were the first roles glial cells had to fulfil in the nervous system? What triggered the formation of the amazing diversity of glial morphologies and functions? Is there a possible mechanism that might explain the appearance of complex structures such as myelin in vertebrates? Here, we postulate a common evolutionary origin of glia and depict a number of selective forces that might have paved the way from a simple supporting cell to a wrapping and myelin forming glial cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Rey
- Institut für Neuro- und Verhaltensbiologie, Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Bernard Zalc
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Épinière, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Christian Klämbt
- Institut für Neuro- und Verhaltensbiologie, Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
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22
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Norekian TP, Moroz LL. Atlas of the neuromuscular system in the Trachymedusa Aglantha digitale: Insights from the advanced hydrozoan. J Comp Neurol 2019; 528:1231-1254. [PMID: 31749185 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 11/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Cnidaria is the sister taxon to bilaterian animals, and therefore, represents a key reference lineage to understand early origins and evolution of the neural systems. The hydromedusa Aglantha digitale is arguably the best electrophysiologically studied jellyfish because of its system of giant axons and unique fast swimming/escape behaviors. Here, using a combination of scanning electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry together with phalloidin labeling, we systematically characterize both neural and muscular systems in Aglantha, summarizing and expanding further the previous knowledge on the microscopic neuroanatomy of this crucial reference species. We found that the majority, if not all (~2,500) neurons, that are labeled by FMRFamide antibody are different from those revealed by anti-α-tubulin immunostaining, making these two neuronal markers complementary to each other and, therefore, expanding the diversity of neural elements in Aglantha with two distinct neural subsystems. Our data uncovered the complex organization of neural networks forming a functional "annulus-type" central nervous system with three subsets of giant axons, dozen subtypes of neurons, muscles, and a variety of receptors fully integrated with epithelial conductive pathways supporting swimming, escape and feeding behaviors. The observed unique adaptations within the Aglantha lineage (including giant axons innervating striated muscles) strongly support an extensive and wide-spread parallel evolution of integrative and effector systems across Metazoa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tigran P Norekian
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Biosciences, University of Florida, St. Augustine, Florida.,Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington, Friday Harbor, Washington.,Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Leonid L Moroz
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Biosciences, University of Florida, St. Augustine, Florida.,Department of Neuroscience and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
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23
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Karabulut A, He S, Chen CY, McKinney SA, Gibson MC. Electroporation of short hairpin RNAs for rapid and efficient gene knockdown in the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis. Dev Biol 2019; 448:7-15. [PMID: 30641041 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
A mechanistic understanding of evolutionary developmental biology requires the development of novel techniques for the manipulation of gene function in phylogenetically diverse organismal systems. Recently, gene-specific knockdown by microinjection of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) was applied in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, demonstrating that the shRNA approach can be used for efficient and robust sequence-specific knockdown of a gene of interest. However, the time- and labor-intensive process of microinjection limits access to this technique and its application in large scale experiments. To address this issue, here we present an electroporation protocol for shRNA delivery into Nematostella eggs. This method leverages the speed and simplicity of electroporation, enabling users to manipulate gene expression in hundreds of eggs or embryos within minutes. We provide a detailed description of the experimental procedure, including reagents, electroporation conditions, preparation of Nematostella eggs, and follow-up care of experimental animals. Finally, we demonstrate the knockdown of several endogenous and exogenous genes with known phenotypes and discuss the potential applications of this method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmet Karabulut
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E. 50th Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Shuonan He
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E. 50th Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Cheng-Yi Chen
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E. 50th Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Sean A McKinney
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E. 50th Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Matthew C Gibson
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E. 50th Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; Dept. Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, KS 66160 USA.
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24
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Lara-Ramirez R, Pérez-González C, Anselmi C, Patthey C, Shimeld SM. A Notch-regulated proliferative stem cell zone in the developing spinal cord is an ancestral vertebrate trait. Development 2019; 146:dev.166595. [PMID: 30552127 DOI: 10.1242/dev.166595] [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: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Vertebrates have evolved the most sophisticated nervous systems we know. These differ from the nervous systems of invertebrates in several ways, including the evolution of new cell types, and the emergence and elaboration of patterning mechanisms to organise cells in time and space. Vertebrates also generally have many more cells in their central nervous systems than invertebrates, and an increase in neural cell number may have contributed to the sophisticated anatomy of the brain and spinal cord. Here, we study how increased cell number evolved in the vertebrate central nervous system, investigating the regulation of cell proliferation in the lamprey spinal cord. Markers of proliferation show that a ventricular progenitor zone is found throughout the lamprey spinal cord. We show that inhibition of Notch signalling disrupts the maintenance of this zone. When Notch is blocked, progenitor cells differentiate precociously, the proliferative ventricular zone is lost and differentiation markers become expressed throughout the spinal cord. Comparison with other chordates suggests that the emergence of a persistent Notch-regulated proliferative progenitor zone was a crucial step for the evolution of vertebrate spinal cord complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Lara-Ramirez
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | | | - Chiara Anselmi
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Cedric Patthey
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Sebastian M Shimeld
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
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25
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Abstract
Regeneration of lost body parts is essential to regain the fitness of the organism for successful living. In the animal kingdom, organisms from different clades exhibit varied regeneration abilities. Hydra is one of the few organisms that possess tremendous regeneration potential, capable of regenerating complete organism from small tissue fragments or even from dissociated cells. This peculiar property has made this genus one of the most invaluable model organisms for understanding the process of regeneration. Multiple studies in Hydra led to the current understanding of gross morphological changes, basic cellular dynamics, and the role of molecular signalling such as the Wnt signalling pathway. However, cell-to-cell communication by cell adhesion, role of extracellular components such as extracellular matrix (ECM), and nature of cell types that contribute to the regeneration process need to be explored in depth. Additionally, roles of developmental signalling pathways need to be elucidated to enable more comprehensive understanding of regeneration in Hydra. Further research on cross communication among extracellular, cellular, and molecular signalling in Hydra will advance the field of regeneration biology. Here, we present a review of the existing literature on Hydra regeneration biology and outline the future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puli Chandramouli Reddy
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
| | - Akhila Gungi
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, Maharashtra, India
| | - Manu Unni
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, Maharashtra, India
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26
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Borisenko I, Podgornaya OI, Ereskovsky AV. From traveler to homebody: Which signaling mechanisms sponge larvae use to become adult sponges? ADVANCES IN PROTEIN CHEMISTRY AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2019; 116:421-449. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2019.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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27
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Microinjection to deliver protein, mRNA, and DNA into zygotes of the cnidarian endosymbiosis model Aiptasia sp. Sci Rep 2018; 8:16437. [PMID: 30401930 PMCID: PMC6219564 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34773-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Reef-building corals depend on an intracellular symbiosis with photosynthetic dinoflagellates for their survival in nutrient-poor oceans. Symbionts are phagocytosed by coral larvae from the environment and transfer essential nutrients to their hosts. Aiptasia, a small tropical marine sea anemone, is emerging as a tractable model system for coral symbiosis; however, to date functional tools and genetic transformation are lacking. Here we have established an efficient workflow to collect Aiptasia eggs for in vitro fertilization and microinjection as the basis for experimental manipulations in the developing embryo and larvae. We demonstrate that protein, mRNA, and DNA can successfully be injected into live Aiptasia zygotes to label actin with recombinant Lifeact-eGFP protein; to label nuclei and cell membranes with NLS-eGFP and farnesylated mCherry translated from injected mRNA; and to transiently drive transgene expression from an Aiptasia-specific promoter, respectively, in embryos and larvae. These proof-of-concept approaches pave the way for future functional studies of development and symbiosis establishment in Aiptasia, a powerful model to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying intracellular coral-algal symbiosis.
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28
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Myxozoans: Ancient metazoan parasites find a home in phylum Cnidaria. ZOOLOGY 2018; 129:66-68. [PMID: 30170750 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2018.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Myxozoans are endoparasites with complex life cycles that alternate between invertebrate and vertebrate hosts. Though considered protozoans for over 150 years, they are now recognized as metazoans, given their multicellularity and ultrastructural features. In recognition of synapomorphies and cnidarian-specific genes, myxozoans were placed recently within the phylum Cnidaria. Although they have lost genetic and structural complexity on the path to parasitism, myxozoans have retained characteristic cnidarian cnidocysts, but use them for initiating host infection. Myxozoans represent at least 20% of phylum Cnidaria, but as a result of rapid evolution, extensive diversification and host specialization, they are probably at least as diverse as their free-living relatives. The ability of myxozoans to infect freshwater, marine and terrestrial hosts implies that Cnidaria are no longer constrained to the aquatic environment.
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29
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Staal J, Driege Y, Haegman M, Borghi A, Hulpiau P, Lievens L, Gul IS, Sundararaman S, Gonçalves A, Dhondt I, Pinzón JH, Braeckman BP, Technau U, Saeys Y, van Roy F, Beyaert R. Ancient Origin of the CARD-Coiled Coil/Bcl10/MALT1-Like Paracaspase Signaling Complex Indicates Unknown Critical Functions. Front Immunol 2018; 9:1136. [PMID: 29881386 PMCID: PMC5978004 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The CARD–coiled coil (CC)/Bcl10/MALT1-like paracaspase (CBM) signaling complexes composed of a CARD–CC family member (CARD-9, -10, -11, or -14), Bcl10, and the type 1 paracaspase MALT1 (PCASP1) play a pivotal role in immunity, inflammation, and cancer. Targeting MALT1 proteolytic activity is of potential therapeutic interest. However, little is known about the evolutionary origin and the original functions of the CBM complex. Type 1 paracaspases originated before the last common ancestor of planulozoa (bilaterians and cnidarians). Notably in bilaterians, Ecdysozoa (e.g., nematodes and insects) lacks Bcl10, whereas other lineages have a Bcl10 homolog. A survey of invertebrate CARD–CC homologs revealed such homologs only in species with Bcl10, indicating an ancient common origin of the entire CBM complex. Furthermore, vertebrate-like Syk/Zap70 tyrosine kinase homologs with the ITAM-binding SH2 domain were only found in invertebrate organisms with CARD–CC/Bcl10, indicating that this pathway might be related to the original function of the CBM complex. Moreover, the type 1 paracaspase sequences from invertebrate organisms that have CARD–CC/Bcl10 are more similar to vertebrate paracaspases. Functional analysis of protein–protein interactions, NF-κB signaling, and CYLD cleavage for selected invertebrate type 1 paracaspase and Bcl10 homologs supports this scenario and indicates an ancient origin of the CARD–CC/Bcl10/paracaspase signaling complex. By contrast, many of the known MALT1-associated activities evolved fairly recently, indicating that unknown functions are at the basis of the protein conservation. As a proof-of-concept, we provide initial evidence for a CBM- and NF-κB-independent neuronal function of the Caenorhabditis elegans type 1 paracaspase malt-1. In conclusion, this study shows how evolutionary insights may point at alternative functions of MALT1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Staal
- Unit of Molecular Signal Transduction in Inflammation, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Yasmine Driege
- Unit of Molecular Signal Transduction in Inflammation, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Mira Haegman
- Unit of Molecular Signal Transduction in Inflammation, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Alice Borghi
- Unit of Molecular Signal Transduction in Inflammation, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Paco Hulpiau
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Unit of Data Mining and Modeling for Biomedicine, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Laurens Lievens
- Unit of Molecular Signal Transduction in Inflammation, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ismail Sahin Gul
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Unit of Molecular Cell Biology, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Srividhya Sundararaman
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Unit of Molecular Cell Biology, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Amanda Gonçalves
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,VIB Bio Imaging Core Gent, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ineke Dhondt
- Laboratory for Aging Physiology and Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jorge H Pinzón
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX, United States
| | - Bart P Braeckman
- Laboratory for Aging Physiology and Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ulrich Technau
- Department of Molecular Evolution and Development, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Yvan Saeys
- Unit of Data Mining and Modeling for Biomedicine, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Frans van Roy
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Unit of Molecular Cell Biology, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Rudi Beyaert
- Unit of Molecular Signal Transduction in Inflammation, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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30
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Roles of Germline Stem Cells and Somatic Multipotent Stem Cells in Hydra Sexual Reproduction. DIVERSITY AND COMMONALITY IN ANIMALS 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/978-4-431-56609-0_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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31
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Gazave E, Lemaître QIB, Balavoine G. The Notch pathway in the annelid Platynereis: insights into chaetogenesis and neurogenesis processes. Open Biol 2017; 7:rsob.160242. [PMID: 28148821 PMCID: PMC5356439 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.160242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Notch is a key signalling pathway playing multiple and varied functions during development. Notch regulates the selection of cells with a neurogenic fate and maintains a pool of yet uncommitted precursors through lateral inhibition, both in insects and in vertebrates. Here, we explore the functions of Notch in the annelid Platynereis dumerilii (Lophotrochozoa). Conserved components of the pathway are identified and a scenario for their evolution in metazoans is proposed. Unexpectedly, neither Notch nor its ligands are expressed in the neurogenic epithelia of the larva at the time when massive neurogenesis begins. Using chemical inhibitors and neural markers, we demonstrate that Notch plays no major role in the general neurogenesis of larvae. Instead, we find Notch components expressed in nascent chaetal sacs, the organs that produce the annelid bristles. Impairing Notch signalling induces defects in chaetal sac formation, abnormalities in chaetae producing cells and a change of identity of chaeta growth accessory cells. This is the first bilaterian species in which the early neurogenesis processes appear to occur without a major involvement of the Notch pathway. Instead, Notch is co-opted to pattern annelid-specific organs, likely through a lateral inhibition process. These features reinforce the view that Notch signalling has been recruited multiple times in evolution due to its remarkable ‘toolkit’ nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Gazave
- Institut Jacques Monod, CNRS, UMR 7592, Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75205 Paris, France
| | - Quentin I B Lemaître
- Institut Jacques Monod, CNRS, UMR 7592, Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75205 Paris, France
| | - Guillaume Balavoine
- Institut Jacques Monod, CNRS, UMR 7592, Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75205 Paris, France
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32
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Frazier M, Helmkampf M, Bellinger MR, Geib SM, Takabayashi M. De novo metatranscriptome assembly and coral gene expression profile of Montipora capitata with growth anomaly. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:710. [PMID: 28893194 PMCID: PMC5594617 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-4090-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Scleractinian corals are a vital component of coral reef ecosystems, and of significant cultural and economic value worldwide. As anthropogenic and natural stressors are contributing to a global decline of coral reefs, understanding coral health is critical to help preserve these ecosystems. Growth anomaly (GA) is a coral disease that has significant negative impacts on coral biology, yet our understanding of its etiology and pathology is lacking. In this study we used RNA-seq along with de novo metatranscriptome assembly and homology assignment to identify coral genes that are expressed in three distinct coral tissue types: tissue from healthy corals (“healthy”), GA lesion tissue from diseased corals (“GA-affected”) and apparently healthy tissue from diseased corals (“GA-unaffected”). We conducted pairwise comparisons of gene expression among these three tissue types to identify genes and pathways that help us to unravel the molecular pathology of this coral disease. Results The quality-filtered de novo-assembled metatranscriptome contained 76,063 genes, of which 13,643 were identified as putative coral genes. Overall gene expression profiles of coral genes revealed high similarity between healthy tissue samples, in contrast to high variance among diseased samples. This indicates GA has a variety of genetic effects at the colony level, including on seemingly healthy (GA-unaffected) tissue. A total of 105 unique coral genes were found differentially expressed among tissue types. Pairwise comparisons revealed the greatest number of differentially expressed genes between healthy and GA-affected tissue (93 genes), followed by healthy and GA-unaffected tissue (33 genes), and GA-affected and -unaffected tissue (7 genes). The putative function of these genes suggests GA is associated with changes in the activity of genes involved in developmental processes and activation of the immune system. Conclusion This is one of the first transcriptome-level studies to investigate coral GA, and the first metatranscriptome assembly for the M. capitata holobiont. The gene expression data, metatranscriptome assembly and methodology developed through this study represent a significant addition to the molecular information available to further our understanding of this coral disease. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-017-4090-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Frazier
- Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, 200 West Kāwili Street, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
| | - Martin Helmkampf
- Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, 200 West Kāwili Street, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
| | - M Renee Bellinger
- Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, 200 West Kāwili Street, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
| | - Scott M Geib
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Daniel K Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, 64 Nowelo St, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
| | - Misaki Takabayashi
- Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, 200 West Kāwili Street, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA. .,Marine Science Department, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, 200 West Kāwili Street, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA.
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33
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Busengdal H, Rentzsch F. Unipotent progenitors contribute to the generation of sensory cell types in the nervous system of the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis. Dev Biol 2017; 431:59-68. [PMID: 28827097 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2017.08.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2017] [Revised: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Nervous systems often consist of a large number of different types of neurons which are generated from neural stem and progenitor cells by a series of symmetric and asymmetric divisions. The origin and early evolution of these neural progenitor systems is not well understood. Here we use a cnidarian model organism, Nematostella vectensis, to gain insight into the generation of neural cell type diversity in a non-bilaterian animal. We identify NvFoxQ2d as a transcription factor that is expressed in a population of spatially restricted, proliferating ectodermal cells that are derived from NvSoxB(2)-expressing neural progenitor cells. Using a transgenic reporter line we show that the NvFoxQ2d cells undergo a terminal, symmetric division to generate a morphologically homogeneous population of putative sensory cells. The abundance of these cells, but not their proliferation status is affected by treatment with the γ-secretase inhibitor DAPT, suggesting regulation by Notch signalling. Our data suggest that intermediate progenitor cells and symmetric divisions contribute to the formation of the seemingly simple nervous system of a sea anemone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henriette Busengdal
- Sars Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt. 55, 5006 Bergen, Norway
| | - Fabian Rentzsch
- Sars Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt. 55, 5006 Bergen, Norway.
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34
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Abdol AM, Röttinger E, Jansson F, Kaandorp JA. A novel technique to combine and analyse spatial and temporal expression datasets: A case study with the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis to identify potential gene interactions. Dev Biol 2017; 428:204-214. [PMID: 28602952 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2017.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Revised: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Understanding genetic interactions during early development of a given organism, is the first step toward unveiling gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that govern a biological process of interest. Predicting such interactions from large expression datasets by performing targeted knock-down/knock-out approaches is a challenging task. We use the currently available expression datasets (in situ hybridization images & qPCR time series) for a basal anthozoan the sea anemone N. vectensis to construct continuous spatiotemporal gene expression patterns during its early development. Moreover, by combining cluster results from each dataset we develop a method that provides testable hypotheses about potential genetic interactions. We show that the analysis of spatial gene expression patterns reveals functional regions of the embryo during the gastrulation. The clustering results from qPCR time series unveils significant temporal events and highlights genes potentially involved in N. vectensis gastrulation. Furthermore, we introduce a method for merging the clustering results from spatial and temporal datasets by which we can group genes that are expressed in the same region and at the time. We demonstrate that the merged clusters can be used to identify GRN interactions involved in various processes and to predict possible activators or repressors of any gene in the dataset. Finally, we validate our methods and results by predicting the repressor effect of NvErg on NvBra in the central domain during the gastrulation that has recently been confirmed by functional analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir M Abdol
- Computational Science Lab, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Eric Röttinger
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, INSERM, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging (IRCAN), Nice, France.
| | - Fredrik Jansson
- Computational Science Lab, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jaap A Kaandorp
- Computational Science Lab, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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35
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Gahan JM, Schnitzler CE, DuBuc TQ, Doonan LB, Kanska J, Gornik SG, Barreira S, Thompson K, Schiffer P, Baxevanis AD, Frank U. Functional studies on the role of Notch signaling in Hydractinia development. Dev Biol 2017; 428:224-231. [PMID: 28601529 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2017.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Revised: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The function of Notch signaling was previously studied in two cnidarians, Hydra and Nematostella, representing the lineages Hydrozoa and Anthozoa, respectively. Using pharmacological inhibition in Hydra and a combination of pharmacological and genetic approaches in Nematostella, it was shown in both animals that Notch is required for tentacle morphogenesis and for late stages of stinging cell maturation. Surprisingly, a role for Notch in neural development, which is well documented in bilaterians, was evident in embryonic Nematostella but not in adult Hydra. Adult neurogenesis in the latter seemed to be unaffected by DAPT, a drug that inhibits Notch signaling. To address this apparent discrepancy, we studied the role of Notch in Hydractinia echinata, an additional hydrozoan, in all life stages. Using CRISPR-Cas9 mediated mutagenesis, transgenesis, and pharmacological interference we show that Notch is dispensable for Hydractinia normal neurogenesis in all life stages but is required for the maturation of stinging cells and for tentacle morphogenesis. Our results are consistent with a conserved role for Notch in morphogenesis and nematogenesis across Cnidaria, and a lineage-specific loss of Notch dependence in neurogenesis in hydrozoans.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Gahan
- Centre for Chromosome Biology, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Christine E Schnitzler
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 320803, USA; Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; Division of Intramural Research, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Timothy Q DuBuc
- Centre for Chromosome Biology, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Liam B Doonan
- Centre for Chromosome Biology, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Justyna Kanska
- Centre for Chromosome Biology, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Sebastian G Gornik
- Centre for Chromosome Biology, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Sofia Barreira
- Division of Intramural Research, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kerry Thompson
- Centre for Microscopy and Imaging, Discipline of Anatomy, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Philipp Schiffer
- Department for Genetics Environment and Evolution, University College London, London, UK
| | - Andreas D Baxevanis
- Division of Intramural Research, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Uri Frank
- Centre for Chromosome Biology, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
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Babonis LS, Martindale MQ. Phylogenetic evidence for the modular evolution of metazoan signalling pathways. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:20150477. [PMID: 27994120 PMCID: PMC5182411 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Communication among cells was paramount to the evolutionary increase in cell type diversity and, ultimately, the origin of large body size. Across the diversity of Metazoa, there are only few conserved cell signalling pathways known to orchestrate the complex cell and tissue interactions regulating development; thus, modification to these few pathways has been responsible for generating diversity during the evolution of animals. Here, we summarize evidence for the origin and putative function of the intracellular, membrane-bound and secreted components of seven metazoan cell signalling pathways with a special focus on early branching metazoans (ctenophores, poriferans, placozoans and cnidarians) and basal unikonts (amoebozoans, fungi, filastereans and choanoflagellates). We highlight the modular incorporation of intra- and extracellular components in each signalling pathway and suggest that increases in the complexity of the extracellular matrix may have further promoted the modulation of cell signalling during metazoan evolution. Most importantly, this updated view of metazoan signalling pathways highlights the need for explicit study of canonical signalling pathway components in taxa that do not operate a complete signalling pathway. Studies like these are critical for developing a deeper understanding of the evolution of cell signalling.This article is part of the themed issue 'Evo-devo in the genomics era, and the origins of morphological diversity'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie S Babonis
- Whitney Lab for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA
| | - Mark Q Martindale
- Whitney Lab for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA
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37
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Rentzsch F, Layden M, Manuel M. The cellular and molecular basis of cnidarian neurogenesis. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2016; 6. [PMID: 27882698 PMCID: PMC6680159 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2016] [Revised: 08/30/2016] [Accepted: 09/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Neurogenesis initiates during early development and it continues through later developmental stages and in adult animals to enable expansion, remodeling, and homeostasis of the nervous system. The generation of nerve cells has been analyzed in detail in few bilaterian model organisms, leaving open many questions about the evolution of this process. As the sister group to bilaterians, cnidarians occupy an informative phylogenetic position to address the early evolution of cellular and molecular aspects of neurogenesis and to understand common principles of neural development. Here we review studies in several cnidarian model systems that have revealed significant similarities and interesting differences compared to neurogenesis in bilaterian species, and between different cnidarian taxa. Cnidarian neurogenesis is currently best understood in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, where it includes epithelial neural progenitor cells that express transcription factors of the soxB and atonal families. Notch signaling regulates the number of these neural progenitor cells, achaete‐scute and dmrt genes are required for their further development and Wnt and BMP signaling appear to be involved in the patterning of the nervous system. In contrast to many vertebrates and Drosophila, cnidarians have a high capacity to generate neurons throughout their lifetime and during regeneration. Utilizing this feature of cnidarian biology will likely allow gaining new insights into the similarities and differences of embryonic and regenerative neurogenesis. The use of different cnidarian model systems and their expanding experimental toolkits will thus continue to provide a better understanding of evolutionary and developmental aspects of nervous system formation. WIREs Dev Biol 2017, 6:e257. doi: 10.1002/wdev.257 This article is categorized under:
Gene Expression and Transcriptional Hierarchies > Cellular Differentiation Signaling Pathways > Cell Fate Signaling Comparative Development and Evolution > Organ System Comparisons Between Species
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Rentzsch
- Sars Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Michaël Manuel
- Sorbonne Universités, UMPC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Evolution Paris-Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Paris, France
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Kelava I, Rentzsch F, Technau U. Evolution of eumetazoan nervous systems: insights from cnidarians. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 370:rstb.2015.0065. [PMID: 26554048 PMCID: PMC4650132 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cnidarians, the sister group to bilaterians, have a simple diffuse nervous system. This morphological simplicity and their phylogenetic position make them a crucial group in the study of the evolution of the nervous system. The development of their nervous systems is of particular interest, as by uncovering the genetic programme that underlies it, and comparing it with the bilaterian developmental programme, it is possible to make assumptions about the genes and processes involved in the development of ancestral nervous systems. Recent advances in sequencing methods, genetic interference techniques and transgenic technology have enabled us to get a first glimpse into the molecular network underlying the development of a cnidarian nervous system—in particular the nervous system of the anthozoan Nematostella vectensis. It appears that much of the genetic network of the nervous system development is partly conserved between cnidarians and bilaterians, with Wnt and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling, and Sox genes playing a crucial part in the differentiation of neurons. However, cnidarians possess some specific characteristics, and further studies are necessary to elucidate the full regulatory network. The work on cnidarian neurogenesis further accentuates the need to study non-model organisms in order to gain insights into processes that shaped present-day lineages during the course of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iva Kelava
- Department of Molecular Evolution and Development, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Fabian Rentzsch
- Sars Centre, Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, Thormøhlensgt. 55, 5008 Bergen, Norway
| | - Ulrich Technau
- Department of Molecular Evolution and Development, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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Layden MJ, Johnston H, Amiel AR, Havrilak J, Steinworth B, Chock T, Röttinger E, Martindale MQ. MAPK signaling is necessary for neurogenesis in Nematostella vectensis. BMC Biol 2016; 14:61. [PMID: 27480076 PMCID: PMC4968017 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-016-0282-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2016] [Accepted: 07/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The nerve net of Nematostella is generated using a conserved cascade of neurogenic transcription factors. For example, NvashA, a homolog of the achaete-scute family of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors, is necessary and sufficient to specify a subset of embryonic neurons. However, positive regulators required for the expression of neurogenic transcription factors remain poorly understood. Results We show that treatment with the MEK/MAPK inhibitor U0126 severely reduces the expression of known neurogenic genes, Nvath-like, NvsoxB(2), and NvashA, and known markers of differentiated neurons, suggesting that MAPK signaling is necessary for neural development. Interestingly, ectopic NvashA fails to rescue the expression of neural markers in U0126-treated animals. Double fluorescence in situ hybridization and transgenic analysis confirmed that NvashA targets represent both unique and overlapping populations of neurons. Finally, we used a genome-wide microarray to identify additional patterning genes downstream of MAPK that might contribute to neurogenesis. We identified 18 likely neural transcription factors, and surprisingly identified ~40 signaling genes and transcription factors that are expressed in either the aboral domain or animal pole that gives rise to the endomesoderm at late blastula stages. Conclusions Together, our data suggest that MAPK is a key early regulator of neurogenesis, and that it is likely required at multiple steps. Initially, MAPK promotes neurogenesis by positively regulating expression of NvsoxB(2), Nvath-like, and NvashA. However, we also found that MAPK is necessary for the activity of the neurogenic transcription factor NvashA. Our forward molecular approach provided insight about the mechanisms of embryonic neurogenesis. For instance, NvashA suppression of Nvath-like suggests that inhibition of progenitor identity is an active process in newly born neurons, and we show that downstream targets of NvashA reflect multiple neural subtypes rather than a uniform neural fate. Lastly, analysis of the MAPK targets in the early embryo suggests that MAPK signaling is critical not only to neurogenesis, but also endomesoderm formation and aboral patterning. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12915-016-0282-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Layden
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA.
| | - Hereroa Johnston
- Université Nice Sophia Antipolis UMR 7284, CNRS UMR 7284, INSERM U1081, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging, Nice, France
| | - Aldine R Amiel
- Université Nice Sophia Antipolis UMR 7284, CNRS UMR 7284, INSERM U1081, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging, Nice, France
| | - Jamie Havrilak
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
| | - Bailey Steinworth
- The Whitney Marine Laboratory for Marine Science, University of Florida, St. Augustine, Florida, USA
| | - Taylor Chock
- The Whitney Marine Laboratory for Marine Science, University of Florida, St. Augustine, Florida, USA
| | - Eric Röttinger
- Université Nice Sophia Antipolis UMR 7284, CNRS UMR 7284, INSERM U1081, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging, Nice, France
| | - Mark Q Martindale
- The Whitney Marine Laboratory for Marine Science, University of Florida, St. Augustine, Florida, USA.
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Rentzsch F, Technau U. Genomics and development of Nematostella vectensis and other anthozoans. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2016; 39:63-70. [PMID: 27318695 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2016.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Revised: 04/14/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Due to their rather simple body plan with only few organs and a low number of cell types, cnidarians have long been recognized as an important animal group for evolutionary comparisons of animal body plans. Recent studies have shown, however, that the genomes of cnidarians and their epigenetic and posttranscriptional regulation are more complex than their morphology might suggest. How these complex genomes are deployed during embryonic development is an open question. With a focus on the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis we describe new findings about the development of the nervous system from neural progenitor cells and how Wnt and BMP signalling control axial patterning. These studies show that beyond evolutionary comparisons, cnidarian model organisms can provide new insights into generic questions in developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Rentzsch
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt 55, 5008 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Ulrich Technau
- Department of Molecular Evolution and Development, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
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Addamo AM, Vertino A, Stolarski J, García-Jiménez R, Taviani M, Machordom A. Merging scleractinian genera: the overwhelming genetic similarity between solitary Desmophyllum and colonial Lophelia. BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:108. [PMID: 27193263 PMCID: PMC4870751 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0654-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2015] [Accepted: 04/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In recent years, several types of molecular markers and new microscale skeletal characters have shown potential as powerful tools for phylogenetic reconstructions and higher-level taxonomy of scleractinian corals. Nonetheless, discrimination of closely related taxa is still highly controversial in scleractinian coral research. Here we used newly sequenced complete mitochondrial genomes and 30 microsatellites to define the genetic divergence between two closely related azooxanthellate taxa of the family Caryophylliidae: solitary Desmophyllum dianthus and colonial Lophelia pertusa. Results In the mitochondrial control region, an astonishing 99.8 % of nucleotides between L. pertusa and D. dianthus were identical. Variability of the mitochondrial genomes of the two species is represented by only 12 non-synonymous out of 19 total nucleotide substitutions. Microsatellite sequence (37 loci) analysis of L. pertusa and D. dianthus showed genetic similarity is about 97 %. Our results also indicated that L. pertusa and D. dianthus show high skeletal plasticity in corallum shape and similarity in skeletal ontogeny, micromorphological (septal and wall granulations) and microstructural characters (arrangement of rapid accretion deposits, thickening deposits). Conclusions Molecularly and morphologically, the solitary Desmophyllum and the dendroid Lophelia appear to be significantly more similar to each other than other unambiguous coral genera analysed to date. This consequently leads to ascribe both taxa under the generic name Desmophyllum (priority by date of publication). Findings of this study demonstrate that coloniality may not be a robust taxonomic character in scleractinian corals. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0654-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Maria Addamo
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Agostina Vertino
- Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Ambiente e del Territorio e di Scienze della Terra, Università di Milano Bicocca (UNIMIB), Piazza della Scienza 4, 20126, Milan, Italy.,Department of Geology Renard Centre of Marine Geology, Universiteit Ghent, Krijgslaan 281, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jaroslaw Stolarski
- Polskiej Akademii Nauk, Instytut Paleobiologii, Twarda 51/55, PL-00-818, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ricardo García-Jiménez
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marco Taviani
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Scienze Marine (ISMAR), Via Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy.,Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, 02543, MA, USA.,Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Annie Machordom
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
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Arendt D, Tosches MA, Marlow H. From nerve net to nerve ring, nerve cord and brain--evolution of the nervous system. Nat Rev Neurosci 2016; 17:61-72. [PMID: 26675821 DOI: 10.1038/nrn.2015.15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The puzzle of how complex nervous systems emerged remains unsolved. Comparative studies of neurodevelopment in cnidarians and bilaterians suggest that this process began with distinct integration centres that evolved on opposite ends of an initial nerve net. The 'apical nervous system' controlled general body physiology, and the 'blastoporal nervous system' coordinated feeding movements and locomotion. We propose that expansion, integration and fusion of these centres gave rise to the bilaterian nerve cord and brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Detlev Arendt
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 699117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Maria Antonietta Tosches
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 4, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Heather Marlow
- Pasteur Institute, 25-28 Rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France
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43
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Layden MJ, Rentzsch F, Röttinger E. The rise of the starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis as a model system to investigate development and regeneration. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2016; 5:408-28. [PMID: 26894563 PMCID: PMC5067631 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2015] [Revised: 11/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/28/2015] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Reverse genetics and next‐generation sequencing unlocked a new era in biology. It is now possible to identify an animal(s) with the unique biology most relevant to a particular question and rapidly generate tools to functionally dissect that biology. This review highlights the rise of one such novel model system, the starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Nematostella is a cnidarian (corals, jellyfish, hydras, sea anemones, etc.) animal that was originally targeted by EvoDevo researchers looking to identify a cnidarian animal to which the development of bilaterians (insects, worms, echinoderms, vertebrates, mollusks, etc.) could be compared. Studies in Nematostella have accomplished this goal and informed our understanding of the evolution of key bilaterian features. However, Nematostella is now going beyond its intended utility with potential as a model to better understand other areas such as regenerative biology, EcoDevo, or stress response. This review intends to highlight key EvoDevo insights from Nematostella that guide our understanding about the evolution of axial patterning mechanisms, mesoderm, and nervous systems in bilaterians, as well as to discuss briefly the potential of Nematostella as a model to better understand the relationship between development and regeneration. Lastly, the sum of research to date in Nematostella has generated a variety of tools that aided the rise of Nematostella to a viable model system. We provide a catalogue of current resources and techniques available to facilitate investigators interested in incorporating Nematostella into their research. WIREs Dev Biol 2016, 5:408–428. doi: 10.1002/wdev.222 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Layden
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
| | - Fabian Rentzsch
- Sars Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Eric Röttinger
- Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging (IRCAN), CNRS UMR 7284, INSERM U1081, Université de Nice-Sophia-Antipolis, Nice, France
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44
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Anderson DA, Walz ME, Weil E, Tonellato P, Smith MC. RNA-Seq of the Caribbean reef-building coral Orbicella faveolata (Scleractinia-Merulinidae) under bleaching and disease stress expands models of coral innate immunity. PeerJ 2016; 4:e1616. [PMID: 26925311 PMCID: PMC4768675 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2015] [Accepted: 01/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change-driven coral disease outbreaks have led to widespread declines in coral populations. Early work on coral genomics established that corals have a complex innate immune system, and whole-transcriptome gene expression studies have revealed mechanisms by which the coral immune system responds to stress and disease. The present investigation expands bioinformatic data available to study coral molecular physiology through the assembly and annotation of a reference transcriptome of the Caribbean reef-building coral, Orbicella faveolata. Samples were collected during a warm water thermal anomaly, coral bleaching event and Caribbean yellow band disease outbreak in 2010 in Puerto Rico. Multiplex sequencing of RNA on the Illumina GAIIx platform and de novo transcriptome assembly by Trinity produced 70,745,177 raw short-sequence reads and 32,463 O. faveolata transcripts, respectively. The reference transcriptome was annotated with gene ontologies, mapped to KEGG pathways, and a predicted proteome of 20,488 sequences was generated. Protein families and signaling pathways that are essential in the regulation of innate immunity across Phyla were investigated in-depth. Results were used to develop models of evolutionarily conserved Wnt, Notch, Rig-like receptor, Nod-like receptor, and Dicer signaling. O. faveolata is a coral species that has been studied widely under climate-driven stress and disease, and the present investigation provides new data on the genes that putatively regulate its immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Anderson
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America; Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, United States of America
| | - Marcus E Walz
- Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , Milwaukee, Wisconsin , United States of America
| | - Ernesto Weil
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez , Mayagüez, Puerto Rico , United States of America
| | - Peter Tonellato
- Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States of America; Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Matthew C Smith
- School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee , Milwaukee, Wisconsin , United States of America
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Richards GS, Rentzsch F. Regulation of Nematostella neural progenitors by SoxB, Notch and bHLH genes. Development 2016; 142:3332-42. [PMID: 26443634 PMCID: PMC4631755 DOI: 10.1242/dev.123745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Notch signalling, SoxB and Group A bHLH 'proneural' genes are conserved regulators of the neurogenic program in many bilaterians. However, the ancestry of their functions and interactions is not well understood. We address this question in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, a representative of the Cnidaria, the sister clade to the Bilateria. It has previously been found that the SoxB orthologue NvSoxB(2) is expressed in neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in Nematostella and promotes the development of both neurons and nematocytes, whereas Notch signalling has been implicated in the negative regulation of neurons and the positive regulation of nematocytes. Here, we clarify the role of Notch by reporting that inhibition of Notch signalling increases the numbers of both neurons and nematocytes, as well as increasing the number of NvSoxB(2)-expressing cells. This suggests that Notch restricts neurogenesis by limiting the generation of NPCs. We then characterise NvAth-like (Atonal/Neurogenin family) as a positive regulator of neurogenesis that is co-expressed with NvSoxB(2) in a subset of dividing NPCs, while we find that NvAshA (Achaete-scute family) and NvSoxB(2) are co-expressed in non-dividing cells only. Reciprocal knockdown experiments reveal a mutual requirement for NvSoxB(2) and NvAth-like in neural differentiation; however, the primary expression of each gene is independent of the other. Together, these data demonstrate that Notch signalling and NvSoxB(2) regulate Nematostella neural progenitors via parallel yet interacting mechanisms; with different aspects of these interactions being shared with Drosophila and/or vertebrate neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma Sian Richards
- Sars Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, Bergen N-5008, Norway
| | - Fabian Rentzsch
- Sars Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, Bergen N-5008, Norway
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46
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Murata A, Hayashi SI. Notch-Mediated Cell Adhesion. BIOLOGY 2016; 5:biology5010005. [PMID: 26784245 PMCID: PMC4810162 DOI: 10.3390/biology5010005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2015] [Revised: 01/12/2016] [Accepted: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Notch family members are generally recognized as signaling molecules that control various cellular responses in metazoan organisms. Early fly studies and our mammalian studies demonstrated that Notch family members are also cell adhesion molecules; however, information on the physiological roles of this function and its origin is limited. In this review, we discuss the potential present and ancestral roles of Notch-mediated cell adhesion in order to explore its origin and the initial roles of Notch family members dating back to metazoan evolution. We hypothesize that Notch family members may have initially emerged as cell adhesion molecules in order to mediate multicellularity in the last common ancestor of metazoan organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiko Murata
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Division of Immunology, School of Life Science, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, Tottori 683-8503, Japan.
| | - Shin-Ichi Hayashi
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Division of Immunology, School of Life Science, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, Tottori 683-8503, Japan.
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47
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Baker EC, Layden MJ, van Rossum DB, Kamel B, Medina M, Simpson E, Jegla T. Functional Characterization of Cnidarian HCN Channels Points to an Early Evolution of Ih. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0142730. [PMID: 26555239 PMCID: PMC4640657 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
HCN channels play a unique role in bilaterian physiology as the only hyperpolarization-gated cation channels. Their voltage-gating is regulated by cyclic nucleotides and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2). Activation of HCN channels provides the depolarizing current in response to hyperpolarization that is critical for intrinsic rhythmicity in neurons and the sinoatrial node. Additionally, HCN channels regulate dendritic excitability in a wide variety of neurons. Little is known about the early functional evolution of HCN channels, but the presence of HCN sequences in basal metazoan phyla and choanoflagellates, a protozoan sister group to the metazoans, indicate that the gene family predates metazoan emergence. We functionally characterized two HCN channel orthologs from Nematostella vectensis (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) to determine which properties of HCN channels were established prior to the emergence of bilaterians. We find Nematostella HCN channels share all the major functional features of bilaterian HCNs, including reversed voltage-dependence, activation by cAMP and PIP2, and block by extracellular Cs+. Thus bilaterian-like HCN channels were already present in the common parahoxozoan ancestor of bilaterians and cnidarians, at a time when the functional diversity of voltage-gated K+ channels was rapidly expanding. NvHCN1 and NvHCN2 are expressed broadly in planulae and in both the endoderm and ectoderm of juvenile polyps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C. Baker
- Department of Biology, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Michael J. Layden
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Damian B. van Rossum
- Department of Biology, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Bishoy Kamel
- Department of Biology, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Monica Medina
- Department of Biology, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Eboni Simpson
- Penn State University Graduate School, Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP), University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Timothy Jegla
- Department of Biology, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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48
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SINKOVICS JOSEPHG. The cnidarian origin of the proto-oncogenes NF-κB/STAT and WNT-like oncogenic pathway drives the ctenophores (Review). Int J Oncol 2015; 47:1211-29. [PMID: 26239915 PMCID: PMC4583530 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2015.3102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2015] [Accepted: 06/26/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The cell survival pathways of the diploblastic early multicellular eukaryotic hosts contain and operate the molecular machinery resembling those of malignantly transformed individual cells of highly advanced multicellular hosts (including Homo). In the present review, the STAT/NF-κB pathway of the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis is compared with that of human tumors (malignant lymphomas, including Reed-Sternberg cells) pointing out similarities, including possible viral initiation in both cases. In the ctenophore genome and proteome, β-catenin gains intranuclear advantages due to a physiologically weak destructive complex in the cytoplasm, and lack of natural inhibitors (the dickkopfs). Thus, a scenario similar to what tumor cells initiate and achieve is presented through several constitutive loss-of-function type mutations in the destructive complex and in the elimination of inhibitors. Vice versa, malignantly transformed individual cells of advanced multicellular hosts assume pheno-genotypic resemblance to cells of unicellular or early multicellular hosts, and presumably to their ancient predecessors, by returning to the semblance of immortality and to the resumption of the state of high degree of resistance to physicochemical insults. Human leukemogenic and oncogenic pathways are presented for comparisons. The supreme bioengineers RNA/DNA complex encoded both the malignantly transformed immortal cell and the human cerebral cortex. The former generates molecules for the immortality of cellular life in the Universe. The latter invents the inhibitors of the process in order to gain control over it.
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Affiliation(s)
- JOSEPH G. SINKOVICS
- St. Joseph Hospital's Cancer Institute Affiliated with the H.L. Moffitt Comprehensive Cancer Center; Department of Molecular Medicine, The University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA
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Technau U, Schwaiger M. Recent advances in genomics and transcriptomics of cnidarians. Mar Genomics 2015; 24 Pt 2:131-8. [PMID: 26421490 DOI: 10.1016/j.margen.2015.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Revised: 09/20/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The advent of the genomic era has provided important and surprising insights into the deducted genetic composition of the common ancestor of cnidarians and bilaterians. This has changed our view of how genomes of metazoans evolve and when crucial gene families arose and diverged in animal evolution. Sequencing of several cnidarian genomes showed that cnidarians share a great part of their gene repertoire as well as genome synteny with vertebrates, with less gene losses in the anthozoan cnidarian lineage than for example in ecdysozoans like Drosophila melanogaster or Caenorhabditis elegans. The Hydra genome on the other hand has evolved more rapidly indicated by more divergent sequences, more cases of gene losses and many taxonomically restricted genes. Cnidarian genomes also contain a rich repertoire of transcription factors, including those that in bilaterian model organisms regulate the development of key bilaterian traits such as mesoderm, nervous system development and bilaterality. The sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, and possibly cnidarians in general, does not only share its complex gene repertoire with bilaterians, but also the regulation of crucial developmental regulatory genes via distal enhancer elements. In addition, epigenetic modifications on DNA and chromatin are shared among eumetazoans. This suggests that most conserved genes present in our genomes today, as well as the mechanisms guiding their expression, evolved before the divergence of cnidarians and bilaterians about 600 Myr ago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Technau
- Department of Molecular Evolution and Development, Centre of Organismal Systems Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Michaela Schwaiger
- Department of Molecular Evolution and Development, Centre of Organismal Systems Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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Sanders SM, Cartwright P. Interspecific Differential Expression Analysis of RNA-Seq Data Yields Insight into Life Cycle Variation in Hydractiniid Hydrozoans. Genome Biol Evol 2015; 7:2417-31. [PMID: 26251524 PMCID: PMC4558869 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evv153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrozoans are known for their complex life cycles, which can alternate between an asexually reproducing polyp stage and a sexually reproducing medusa stage. Most hydrozoan species, however, lack a free-living medusa stage and instead display a developmentally truncated form, called a medusoid or sporosac, which generally remains attached to the polyp. Although evolutionary transitions in medusa truncation and loss have been investigated phylogenetically, little is known about the genes involved in the development and loss of this life cycle stage. Here, we present a new workflow for evaluating differential expression (DE) between two species using short read Illumina RNA-seq data. Through interspecific DE analyses between two hydractiniid hydrozoans, Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus and Podocoryna carnea, we identified genes potentially involved in the developmental, functional, and morphological differences between the fully developed medusa of P. carnea and reduced sporosac of H. symbiolongicarpus. A total of 10,909 putative orthologs of H. symbiolongicarpus and P. carnea were identified from de novo assemblies of short read Illumina data. DE analysis revealed 938 of these are differentially expressed between P. carnea developing and adult medusa, when compared with H. symbiolongicarpus sporosacs, the majority of which have not been previously characterized in cnidarians. In addition, several genes with no corresponding ortholog in H. symbiolongicarpus were expressed in developing medusa of P. carnea. Results presented here show interspecific DE analyses of RNA-seq data to be a sensitive and reliable method for identifying genes and gene pathways potentially involved in morphological and life cycle differences between species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven M Sanders
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas
| | - Paulyn Cartwright
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas
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