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Xiang X, Vilar Gomez AA, Blomberg SP, Yuan H, Degnan BM, Degnan SM. Potential for host-symbiont communication via neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in an aneural animal, the marine sponge Amphimedon queenslandica. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1250694. [PMID: 37841893 PMCID: PMC10570526 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1250694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Interkingdom signalling within a holobiont allows host and symbionts to communicate and to regulate each other's physiological and developmental states. Here we show that a suite of signalling molecules that function as neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in most animals with nervous systems, specifically dopamine and trace amines, are produced exclusively by the bacterial symbionts of the demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica. Although sponges do not possess a nervous system, A. queenslandica expresses rhodopsin class G-protein-coupled receptors that are structurally similar to dopamine and trace amine receptors. When sponge larvae, which express these receptors, are exposed to agonists and antagonists of bilaterian dopamine and trace amine receptors, we observe marked changes in larval phototactic swimming behaviour, consistent with the sponge being competent to recognise and respond to symbiont-derived trace amine signals. These results indicate that monoamines synthesised by bacterial symbionts may be able to influence the physiology of the host sponge.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Sandie M. Degnan
- Centre for Marine Science, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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2
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Rusin LY. Evolution of homology: From archetype towards a holistic concept of cell type. J Morphol 2023; 284:e21569. [PMID: 36789784 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
The concept of homology lies in the heart of comparative biological science. The distinction between homology as structure and analogy as function has shaped the evolutionary paradigm for a century and formed the axis of comparative anatomy and embryology, which accept the identity of structure as a ground measure of relatedness. The advent of single-cell genomics overturned the classical view of cell homology by establishing a backbone regulatory identity of cell types, the basic biological units bridging the molecular and phenotypic dimensions, to reveal that the cell is the most flexible unit of living matter and that many approaches of classical biology need to be revised to understand evolution and diversity at the cellular level. The emerging theory of cell types explicitly decouples cell identity from phenotype, essentially allowing for the divergence of evolutionarily related morphotypes beyond recognition, as well as it decouples ontogenetic cell lineage from cell-type phylogeny, whereby explicating that cell types can share common descent regardless of their structure, function or developmental origin. The article succinctly summarizes current progress and opinion in this field and formulates a more generalistic view of biological cell types as avatars, transient or terminal cell states deployed in a continuum of states by the developmental programme of one and the same omnipotent cell, capable of changing or combining identities with distinct evolutionary histories or inventing ad hoc identities that never existed in evolution or development. It highlights how the new logic grounded in the regulatory nature of cell identity transforms the concepts of cell homology and phenotypic stability, suggesting that cellular evolution is inherently and massively network-like, with one-to-one homologies being rather uncommon and restricted to shallower levels of the animal tree of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonid Y Rusin
- Laboratory for Mathematic Methods and Models in Bioinformatics, Institute for Information Transmission Problems (Kharkevich Institute), Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- EvoGenome Analytics LLC, Odintsovo, Moscow Region, Russia
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Moroz LL, Romanova DY. Alternative neural systems: What is a neuron? (Ctenophores, sponges and placozoans). Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1071961. [PMID: 36619868 PMCID: PMC9816575 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1071961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
How to make a neuron, a synapse, and a neural circuit? Is there only one 'design' for a neural architecture with a universally shared genomic blueprint across species? The brief answer is "No." Four early divergent lineages from the nerveless common ancestor of all animals independently evolved distinct neuroid-type integrative systems. One of these is a subset of neural nets in comb jellies with unique synapses; the second lineage is the well-known Cnidaria + Bilateria; the two others are non-synaptic neuroid systems in sponges and placozoans. By integrating scRNA-seq and microscopy data, we revise the definition of neurons as synaptically-coupled polarized and highly heterogenous secretory cells at the top of behavioral hierarchies with learning capabilities. This physiological (not phylogenetic) definition separates 'true' neurons from non-synaptically and gap junction-coupled integrative systems executing more stereotyped behaviors. Growing evidence supports the hypothesis of multiple origins of neurons and synapses. Thus, many non-bilaterian and bilaterian neuronal classes, circuits or systems are considered functional rather than genetic categories, composed of non-homologous cell types. In summary, little-explored examples of convergent neuronal evolution in representatives of early branching metazoans provide conceptually novel microanatomical and physiological architectures of behavioral controls in animals with prospects of neuro-engineering and synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonid L. Moroz
- Departments of Neuroscience and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States,Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, United States,*Correspondence: Leonid L. Moroz, ; Daria Y. Romanova,
| | - Daria Y. Romanova
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS, 5A Butlerova, Moscow, Russia,*Correspondence: Leonid L. Moroz, ; Daria Y. Romanova,
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Colgren J, Burkhardt P. The premetazoan ancestry of the synaptic toolkit and appearance of first neurons. Essays Biochem 2022; 66:781-95. [PMID: 36205407 DOI: 10.1042/EBC20220042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Neurons, especially when coupled with muscles, allow animals to interact with and navigate through their environment in ways unique to life on earth. Found in all major animal lineages except sponges and placozoans, nervous systems range widely in organization and complexity, with neurons possibly representing the most diverse cell-type. This diversity has led to much debate over the evolutionary origin of neurons as well as synapses, which allow for the directed transmission of information. The broad phylogenetic distribution of neurons and presence of many of the defining components outside of animals suggests an early origin of this cell type, potentially in the time between the first animal and the last common ancestor of extant animals. Here, we highlight the occurrence and function of key aspects of neurons outside of animals as well as recent findings from non-bilaterian animals in order to make predictions about when and how the first neuron(s) arose during animal evolution and their relationship to those found in extant lineages. With advancing technologies in single cell transcriptomics and proteomics as well as expanding functional techniques in non-bilaterian animals and the close relatives of animals, it is an exciting time to begin unraveling the complex evolutionary history of this fascinating animal cell type.
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Hayakawa E, Guzman C, Horiguchi O, Kawano C, Shiraishi A, Mohri K, Lin MF, Nakamura R, Nakamura R, Kawai E, Komoto S, Jokura K, Shiba K, Shigenobu S, Satake H, Inaba K, Watanabe H. Mass spectrometry of short peptides reveals common features of metazoan peptidergic neurons. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1438-1448. [PMID: 35941202 PMCID: PMC9525235 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01835-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The evolutionary origins of neurons remain unknown. Although recent genome data of extant early-branching animals have shown that neural genes existed in the common ancestor of animals, the physiological and genetic properties of neurons in the early evolutionary phase are still unclear. Here, we performed a mass spectrometry-based comprehensive survey of short peptides from early-branching lineages Cnidaria, Porifera and Ctenophora. We identified a number of mature ctenophore neuropeptides that are expressed in neurons associated with sensory, muscular and digestive systems. The ctenophore peptides are stored in vesicles in cell bodies and neurites, suggesting volume transmission similar to that of cnidarian and bilaterian peptidergic systems. A comparison of genetic characteristics revealed that the peptide-expressing cells of Cnidaria and Ctenophora express the vast majority of genes that have pivotal roles in maturation, secretion and degradation of neuropeptides in Bilateria. Functional analysis of neuropeptides and prediction of receptors with machine learning demonstrated peptide regulation of a wide range of target effector cells, including cells of muscular systems. The striking parallels between the peptidergic neuronal properties of Cnidaria and Bilateria and those of Ctenophora, the most basal neuron-bearing animals, suggest a common evolutionary origin of metazoan peptidergic nervous systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eisuke Hayakawa
- Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan.
| | - Christine Guzman
- Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Osamu Horiguchi
- Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Chihiro Kawano
- Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Akira Shiraishi
- Bioorganic Research Institute, Suntory Foundation for Life Sciences, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kurato Mohri
- Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Mei-Fang Lin
- Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
- College of Marine Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Ryotaro Nakamura
- Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Ryo Nakamura
- Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Erina Kawai
- Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
- Marine Climate Change Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Shinya Komoto
- Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
- Imaging Section, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Kei Jokura
- Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Shizuoka, Japan
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Kogiku Shiba
- Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Shuji Shigenobu
- Center for the Development of New Model Organisms, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Honoo Satake
- Bioorganic Research Institute, Suntory Foundation for Life Sciences, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kazuo Inaba
- Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Watanabe
- Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan.
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Wong E, Anggono V, Williams SR, Degnan SM, Degnan BM. Phototransduction in a marine sponge provides insights into the origin of animal vision. iScience 2022; 25:104436. [PMID: 35707725 PMCID: PMC9189025 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Most organisms respond to light. Here, we investigate the origin of metazoan phototransduction by comparing well-characterized opsin-based photosystems in neural animals with those in the sponge Amphimedon queenslandica. Although sponges lack neurons and opsins, they can respond rapidly to light. In Amphimedon larvae, this is guided by the light-sensing posterior pigment ring. We first use cell-type-specific transcriptomes to reveal that genes that characterize eumetazoan Gt- and Go-mediated photosystems are enriched in the pigment ring. We then apply a suite of signaling pathway agonists and antagonists to swimming larvae exposed to directional light. These experiments implicate metabotropic glutamate receptors, phospholipase-C, protein kinase C, and voltage-gated calcium channels in larval phototaxis; the inhibition of phospholipase-C, a key transducer of the Gq-mediated pathway, completely reverses phototactic behavior. Together, these results are consistent with aneural sponges sharing with neural metazoans an ancestral set of photosignaling pathways. Amphimedon larvae are negatively phototactic but lack neurons and opsins Sponge larval photosensory cells are enriched in conserved phototransduction genes Conserved photosignaling pathways appear to be controlling larval phototaxis Phototactic behavior is reversed by the inhibition of phospholipase-C
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunice Wong
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Victor Anggono
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.,Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Stephen R Williams
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Sandie M Degnan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Bernard M Degnan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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Tarashansky AJ, Musser JM, Khariton M, Li P, Arendt D, Quake SR, Wang B. Mapping single-cell atlases throughout Metazoa unravels cell type evolution. eLife 2021; 10:e66747. [PMID: 33944782 PMCID: PMC8139856 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Comparing single-cell transcriptomic atlases from diverse organisms can elucidate the origins of cellular diversity and assist the annotation of new cell atlases. Yet, comparison between distant relatives is hindered by complex gene histories and diversifications in expression programs. Previously, we introduced the self-assembling manifold (SAM) algorithm to robustly reconstruct manifolds from single-cell data (Tarashansky et al., 2019). Here, we build on SAM to map cell atlas manifolds across species. This new method, SAMap, identifies homologous cell types with shared expression programs across distant species within phyla, even in complex examples where homologous tissues emerge from distinct germ layers. SAMap also finds many genes with more similar expression to their paralogs than their orthologs, suggesting paralog substitution may be more common in evolution than previously appreciated. Lastly, comparing species across animal phyla, spanning sponge to mouse, reveals ancient contractile and stem cell families, which may have arisen early in animal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jacob M Musser
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Developmental Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
| | | | - Pengyang Li
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Detlev Arendt
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Developmental Biology UnitHeidelbergGermany
- Centre for Organismal Studies, University of HeidelbergHeidelbergGermany
| | - Stephen R Quake
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Chan Zuckerberg BiohubSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Bo Wang
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
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Stroebel D, Paoletti P. Architecture and function of NMDA receptors: an evolutionary perspective. J Physiol 2020; 599:2615-2638. [PMID: 32786006 DOI: 10.1113/jp279028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) are a major class of ligand-gated ion channels that are widespread in the living kingdom. Their critical role in excitatory neurotransmission and brain function of arthropods and vertebrates has made them a compelling subject of interest for neurophysiologists and pharmacologists. This is particularly true for NMDA receptor (NMDARs), a subclass of iGluRs that act as central drivers of synaptic plasticity in the CNS. How and when the unique properties of NMDARs arose during evolution, and how they relate to the evolution of the nervous system, remain open questions. Recent years have witnessed a boom in both genomic and structural data, such that it is now possible to analyse the evolution of iGluR genes on an unprecedented scale and within a solid molecular framework. In this review, combining insights from phylogeny, atomic structure and physiological and mechanistic data, we discuss how evolution of NMDAR motifs and sequences shaped their architecture and functionalities. We trace differences and commonalities between NMDARs and other iGluRs, emphasizing a few distinctive properties of the former regarding ligand binding and gating, permeation, allosteric modulation and intracellular signalling. Finally, we speculate on how specific molecular properties of iGuRs arose to supply new functions to the evolving structure of the nervous system, from early metazoan to present mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Stroebel
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Institute de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Paoletti
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Institute de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Université PSL, Paris, France
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