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Wang Y, Wang M, Zhang Y, Chen F, Sun M, Li S, Zhang J, Zhang F. Resistance to both aphids and nematodes in tobacco plants expressing a Bacillus thuringiensis crystal protein. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2024; 80:3098-3106. [PMID: 38319036 DOI: 10.1002/ps.8013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and its crystal toxin or δ-endotoxins (Cry) offer great potential for the efficient control of crop pests. A vast number of pests can potentially infect the same host plant, either simultaneously or sequentially. However, no effective Bt-Cry protein has been reported to control both aphids and plant parasitic nematodes due to its highly specific activity. RESULTS Our study indicated that the Cry5Ba2 protein was toxic to the green peach aphid Myzus persicae, which had a median lethal concentration (LC50) of 9.7 ng μL-1 and fiducial limits of 3.1-34.6 ng μL-1. Immunohistochemical localization of Cry5Ba2 revealed that it could bind to the apical tip of microvilli in midgut regions. Moreover, transgenic tobacco plants expressing Cry5Ba2 exhibited significant resistance to Myzus persicae, as evidenced by reduced insect survival and impaired fecundity, and also intoxicated the Meloidogyne incognita as indicated by a decrease in galls and progeny reproduction. CONCLUSION In sum, we identified a new aphicidal Bt toxin resource that could simultaneously control both aboveground and belowground pests, thus extending the application range of Bt-based strategy for crop protection. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Hubei Hongshan laboratory, Wuhan, China
| | - MengNan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Hubei Hongshan laboratory, Wuhan, China
| | - Yali Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Hubei Hongshan laboratory, Wuhan, China
| | - Feng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ming Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shengchun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Hubei Hongshan laboratory, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Hubei Hongshan laboratory, Wuhan, China
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Fengjuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Hubei Hongshan laboratory, Wuhan, China
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2
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Davie T, Serrat X, Imhof L, Snider J, Štagljar I, Keiser J, Hirano H, Watanabe N, Osada H, Fraser AG. Identification of a family of species-selective complex I inhibitors as potential anthelmintics. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3367. [PMID: 38719808 PMCID: PMC11079024 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47331-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) are major pathogens infecting over a billion people. There are few classes of anthelmintics and there is an urgent need for new drugs. Many STHs use an unusual form of anaerobic metabolism to survive the hypoxic conditions of the host gut. This requires rhodoquinone (RQ), a quinone electron carrier. RQ is not made or used by vertebrate hosts making it an excellent therapeutic target. Here we screen 480 structural families of natural products to find compounds that kill Caenorhabditis elegans specifically when they require RQ-dependent metabolism. We identify several classes of compounds including a family of species-selective inhibitors of mitochondrial respiratory complex I. These identified complex I inhibitors have a benzimidazole core and we determine key structural requirements for activity by screening 1,280 related compounds. Finally, we show several of these compounds kill adult STHs. We suggest these species-selective complex I inhibitors are potential anthelmintics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor Davie
- The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Xènia Serrat
- The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lea Imhof
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, CH-4123, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, CH-4000, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jamie Snider
- The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Igor Štagljar
- The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences, Meštrovićevo Šetalište 45, HR-21000, Split, Croatia
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jennifer Keiser
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, CH-4123, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, CH-4000, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Hiroyuki Hirano
- Chemical Resource Development Research Unit, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Nobumoto Watanabe
- Chemical Resource Development Research Unit, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Osada
- Chemical Resource Development Research Unit, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
- Institute of Microbial Chemistry (BIKAKEN), 3-14-23 Kamiosaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 141-0021, Japan
| | - Andrew G Fraser
- The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, M5S 3E1, Canada.
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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3
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Wilson IBH, Yan S, Jin C, Dutkiewicz Z, Rendić D, Palmberger D, Schnabel R, Paschinger K. Increasing Complexity of the N-Glycome During Caenorhabditis Development. Mol Cell Proteomics 2023; 22:100505. [PMID: 36717059 PMCID: PMC7614267 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2023.100505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans is a frequently employed genetic model organism and has been the object of a wide range of developmental, genetic, proteomic, and glycomic studies. Here, using an off-line MALDI-TOF-MS approach, we have analyzed the N-glycans of mixed embryos and liquid- or plate-grown L4 larvae. Of the over 200 different annotatable N-glycan structures, variations between the stages as well as the mode of cultivation were observed. While the embryonal N-glycome appears less complicated overall, the liquid- and plate-grown larvae differ especially in terms of methylation of bisecting fucose, α-galactosylation of mannose, and di-β-galactosylation of core α1,6-fucose. Furthermore, we analyzed the O-glycans by LC-electrospray ionization-MS following β-elimination; especially the embryonal O-glycomes included a set of phosphorylcholine-modified structures, previously not shown to exist in nematodes. However, the set of glycan structures cannot be clearly correlated with levels of glycosyltransferase transcripts in developmental RNA-Seq datasets, but there is an indication for coordinated expression of clusters of potential glycosylation-relevant genes. Thus, there are still questions to be answered in terms of how and why a simple nematode synthesizes such a diverse glycome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iain B H Wilson
- Department für Chemie, Universität für Bodenkultur, Wien, Austria.
| | - Shi Yan
- Department für Chemie, Universität für Bodenkultur, Wien, Austria; Institut für Parasitologie, Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien, Wien, Austria
| | - Chunsheng Jin
- Institutionen för Biomedicin, Göteborgs universitet, Göteborg, Sweden
| | | | - Dubravko Rendić
- Department für Chemie, Universität für Bodenkultur, Wien, Austria
| | | | - Ralf Schnabel
- Institut für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
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Giant Viruses as a Source of Novel Enzymes for Biotechnological Application. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11121453. [PMID: 36558786 PMCID: PMC9787589 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11121453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The global demand for industrial enzymes has been increasing in recent years, and the search for new sources of these biological products is intense, especially in microorganisms. Most known viruses have limited genetic machinery and, thus, have been overlooked by the enzyme industry for years. However, a peculiar group of viruses breaks this paradigm. Giant viruses of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota infect protists (i.e., algae and amoebae) and have complex genomes, reaching up to 2.7 Mb in length and encoding hundreds of genes. Different giant viruses have robust metabolic machinery, especially those in the Phycodnaviridae and Mimiviridae families. In this review, we present some peculiarities of giant viruses that infect protists and discuss why they should be seen as an outstanding source of new enzymes. We revisited the genomes of representatives of different groups of giant viruses and put together information about their enzymatic machinery, highlighting several genes to be explored in biotechnology involved in carbohydrate metabolism, DNA replication, and RNA processing, among others. Finally, we present additional evidence based on structural biology using chitinase as a model to reinforce the role of giant viruses as a source of novel enzymes for biotechnological application.
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A Caenorhabditis elegans nck-1 and filamentous actin-regulating protein pathway mediates a key cellular defense against bacterial pore-forming proteins. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010656. [PMID: 36374839 PMCID: PMC9704757 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Pore-forming proteins (PFPs) comprise the largest single class of bacterial protein virulence factors and are expressed by many human and animal bacterial pathogens. Cells that are attacked by these virulence factors activate epithelial intrinsic cellular defenses (or INCEDs) to prevent the attendant cellular damage, cellular dysfunction, osmotic lysis, and organismal death. Several conserved PFP INCEDs have been identified using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the nematicidal PFP Cry5B, including mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways. Here we demonstrate that the gene nck-1, which has homologs from Drosophila to humans and links cell signaling with localized F-actin polymerization, is required for INCED against small-pore PFPs in C. elegans. Reduction/loss of nck-1 function results in C. elegans hypersensitivity to PFP attack, a hallmark of a gene required for INCEDs against PFPs. This requirement for nck-1-mediated INCED functions cell-autonomously in the intestine and is specific to PFPs but not to other tested stresses. Genetic interaction experiments indicate that nck-1-mediated INCED against PFP attack is independent of the major MAPK PFP INCED pathways. Proteomics and cell biological and genetic studies further indicate that nck-1 functions with F-actin cytoskeleton modifying genes like arp2/3, erm-1, and dbn-1 and that nck-1/arp2/3 promote pore repair at the membrane surface and protect against PFP attack independent of p38 MAPK. Consistent with these findings, PFP attack causes significant changes in the amount of actin cytoskeletal proteins and in total amounts of F-actin in the target tissue, the intestine. nck-1 mutant animals appear to have lower F-actin levels than wild-type C. elegans. Studies on nck-1 and other F-actin regulating proteins have uncovered a new and important role of this pathway and the actin cytoskeleton in PFP INCED and protecting an intestinal epithelium in vivo against PFP attack.
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6
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Use of RNAi as a preliminary tool for screening putative receptors of nematicidal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis. Arch Microbiol 2021; 203:1649-1656. [PMID: 33432376 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-020-02179-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/27/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Bacillus thuringiensis is a potential control agent for plant-parasitic nematodes. Nematode intestinal receptors for Cry21-type toxins are poorly known. Therefore, a strategy was tested as a primary screening tool to find possible Cry toxin receptors, using a nematicidal Bt strain and the RNAi technique on Caenorhabditis elegans. Six genes encoding intestinal membrane proteins were selected (abt-4, bre-1, bre-2, bre-3, asps-1, abl-1) as possible targets for Cry proteins. Fractions of each selected gene were amplified by PCR. Amplicons were cloned into the L4440 vector to transform the E. coli HT155 (DE3) strain. Transformed bacteria were used to silence the selected genes using the RNAi feeding method. Nematodes with silenced genes were tested with the Bt strain LBIT-107, which harbors the nematicidal protein Cry21Aa3, among others. Results indicated that nematodes with the silenced abt-4 gene were 69.5% more resistant to the LBIT-107 strain, in general, and 79% to the Cry21Aa3 toxin, specifically.
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7
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Shi J, Zhang F, Chen L, Bravo A, Soberón M, Sun M. Systemic mitochondrial disruption is a key event in the toxicity of bacterial pore-forming toxins to Caenorhabditis elegans. Environ Microbiol 2020; 23:4896-4907. [PMID: 33368933 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are important weapons of multiple bacterial pathogens to establish their infections. PFTs generally form pores in the plasma membrane of target cells; however, the intracellular pathogenic processes triggered after pore-formation remain poorly understood. Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model and Bacillus thuringiensis nematicidal Cry PFTs, we show here that the localized PFT attack causes a systemic mitochondrial damage, important for the PFT toxicity. We find that PFTs punch pores only in gut cells of nematodes, but unexpectedly mitochondrial disruption is able to occur in distal unperforated regions, such as the head and muscle tissues. We demonstrate that PFTs affect the activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) complex I resulting in the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm ), which causes further mitochondrial fragmentation and the reduction of total mitochondrial content. Worms with decreased ΔΨm or inhibited MRC activity show higher sensitivity to PFTs. The inhibition of mitochondrial fission or the increase of mitochondrial content markedly improves the survival of animals treated with PFTs. These findings suggest that mitochondrial changes underpin PFT-mediated toxicity against nematodes and that systemic mitochondrial disruption caused by localized pore-formation represents a conserved key intracellular event in the mode of action of PFTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianwei Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Fengjuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ling Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Alejandra Bravo
- Departamento de Microbiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Mario Soberón
- Departamento de Microbiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Ming Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
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8
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Sanders J, Xie Y, Gazzola D, Li H, Abraham A, Flanagan K, Rus F, Miller M, Hu Y, Guynn S, Draper A, Vakalapudi S, Petersson KH, Zarlenga D, Li RW, Urban JF, Ostroff GR, Zajac A, Aroian RV. A new paraprobiotic-based treatment for control of Haemonchus contortus in sheep. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2020; 14:230-236. [PMID: 33242790 PMCID: PMC7695930 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2020.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Haemonchus contortus is a critical parasite of goats and sheep. Infection by this blood-feeding gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasite has significant health consequences, especially in lambs and kids. The parasite has developed resistance to virtually all known classes of small molecule anthelmintics used to treat it, giving rise in some areas to multidrug resistant parasites that are very difficult to control. Thus, new anthelmintics are urgently needed. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crystal protein 5B (Cry5B), a naturally occurring protein made by a bacterium widely and safely used around the world as a bioinsecticide, represents a new non-small molecule modality for treating GINs. Cry5B has demonstrated anthelmintic activities against parasites of monogastric animals, including some related to those that infect humans, but has not yet been studied in a ruminant. Here we show that H. contortus adults are susceptible to Cry5B protein in vitro. Cry5B produced in its natural form as a spore-crystal lysate against H. contortus infections in goats had no significant efficacy. However, a new Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) paraprobiotic form of Cry5B called IBaCC (Inactivated Bacterium with Cytosolic Crystals), in which Cry5B crystals are encapsulated in dead Bt cell wall ghosts, showed excellent efficacy in vitro against larval stages of H. contortus and relative protein stability in bovine rumen fluid. When given to sheep experimentally infected with H. contortus as three 60 mg/kg doses, Cry5B IBaCC resulted in significant reductions in fecal egg counts (90%) and parasite burdens (72%), with a very high impact on female parasites (96% reduction). These data indicate that Cry5B IBaCC is a potent new treatment tool for small ruminants in the battle against H. contortus.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Sanders
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Yue Xie
- United State Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Diet, Genomics, Immunology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - David Gazzola
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Hanchen Li
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Ambily Abraham
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Kelly Flanagan
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Florentina Rus
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Melanie Miller
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Yan Hu
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA; Biology Department, Worcester State University, Worcester, MA, 01602, USA
| | - Sierra Guynn
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Austin Draper
- Synthetic Biomanufacturing Facility, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84341, USA
| | - Sridhar Vakalapudi
- Synthetic Biomanufacturing Facility, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84341, USA
| | - Katherine H Petersson
- Department of Fisheries, Animal, and Veterinary Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, 02881, USA
| | - Dante Zarlenga
- United State Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Robert W Li
- United State Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Joseph F Urban
- United State Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Diet, Genomics, Immunology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA; United State Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Gary R Ostroff
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Anne Zajac
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Raffi V Aroian
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
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Hoki JS, Le HH, Mellott KE, Zhang YK, Fox BW, Rodrigues PR, Yu Y, Helf MJ, Baccile JA, Schroeder FC. Deep Interrogation of Metabolism Using a Pathway-Targeted Click-Chemistry Approach. J Am Chem Soc 2020; 142:18449-18459. [PMID: 33053303 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c06877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Untargeted metabolomics indicates that the number of unidentified small-molecule metabolites may exceed the number of protein-coding genes for many organisms, including humans, by orders of magnitude. Uncovering the underlying metabolic networks is essential for elucidating the physiological and ecological significance of these biogenic small molecules. Here we develop a click-chemistry-based enrichment strategy, DIMEN (deep interrogation of metabolism via enrichment), that we apply to investigate metabolism of the ascarosides, a family of signaling molecules in the model organism C. elegans. Using a single alkyne-modified metabolite and a solid-phase azide resin that installs a diagnostic moiety for MS/MS-based identification, DIMEN uncovered several hundred novel compounds originating from diverse biosynthetic transformations that reveal unexpected intersection with amino acid, carbohydrate, and energy metabolism. Many of the newly discovered transformations could not be identified or detected by conventional LC-MS analyses without enrichment, demonstrating the utility of DIMEN for deeply probing biochemical networks that generate extensive yet uncharacterized structure space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason S Hoki
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Henry H Le
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Karlie E Mellott
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Ying K Zhang
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Bennett W Fox
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Pedro R Rodrigues
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Yan Yu
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Maximilian J Helf
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Joshua A Baccile
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Frank C Schroeder
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
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Liu M, Cheng X, Wang J, Tian D, Tang K, Xu T, Zhang M, Wang Y, Wang M. Structural insights into the fungi-nematodes interaction mediated by fucose-specific lectin AofleA from Arthrobotrys oligospora. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 164:783-793. [PMID: 32698064 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.07.173] [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: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Fungal lectin can bind specific carbohydrate structures of the host and work in recognition and adhesion or as a toxic factor. AofleA, as a fucose-specific lectin from widely studied nematode predatory fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora, possibly plays a key role in the event of capturing nematodes, but the mechanism remains unknown. Here we report the crystal structure of AofleA, which exists as a homodimer with each subunit folds as a six-bladed β-propeller. Our structural and biological results revealed that three of the six putative binding sites of AofleA had fucose-binding abilities. In addition, we found that AofleA could bind to the pharynx and intestine of the nematode in a fucose-binding-dependent manner. Our results facilitate the understanding of the mechanism that fucose-specific lectin mediates fungi-nematodes interaction, and provide structural information for the development of potential applications of AofleA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingjie Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China; Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China; Key Laboratory of Human Microenvironment and Precision Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China
| | - Xiaowen Cheng
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China; Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China
| | - Junchao Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China; Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China; Key Laboratory of Human Microenvironment and Precision Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China
| | - Dongrui Tian
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China; Key Laboratory of Human Microenvironment and Precision Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China
| | - Kaijing Tang
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China; Key Laboratory of Human Microenvironment and Precision Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China
| | - Ting Xu
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, Anhui, China
| | - Min Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China; Key Laboratory of Human Microenvironment and Precision Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China
| | - Yongzhong Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China; Key Laboratory of Human Microenvironment and Precision Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China
| | - Mingzhu Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China; Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China; Key Laboratory of Human Microenvironment and Precision Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China.
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Shi J, Peng D, Zhang F, Ruan L, Sun M. The Caenorhabditis elegans CUB-like-domain containing protein RBT-1 functions as a receptor for Bacillus thuringiensis Cry6Aa toxin. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008501. [PMID: 32369532 PMCID: PMC7228132 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant-parasitic nematodes cause huge agricultural economic losses. Two major families of Bacillus thuringiensis crystal proteins, Cry5 and Cry6, show nematicidal activity. Previous work showed that binding to midgut receptors is a limiting step in Cry toxin mode of action. In the case of Cry5Ba, certain Caenorhabditis elegans glycolipids were identified as receptors of this toxin. However, the receptors for Cry6 toxin remain unknown. In this study, the C. elegans CUB-like-domain containing protein RBT-1, released by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC), was identified as a Cry6Aa binding protein by affinity chromatography. RBT-1 contained a predicted glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor site and was shown to locate in lipid rafts in the surface of the midgut cells. Western ligand blot assays and ELISA binding analysis confirmed the binding interaction between Cry6Aa and RBT-1 showing high affinity and specificity. In addition, the mutation of rbt-1 gene decreased the susceptibility of C. elegans to Cry6Aa but not that of Cry5Ba. Furthermore, RBT-1 mediated the uptake of Cry6Aa into C. elegans gut cells, and was shown to be involved in triggering pore-formation activity, indicating that RBT-1 is required for the interaction of Cry6Aa with the nematode midgut cells. These results support that RBT-1 is a functional receptor for Cry6Aa. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crystal proteins belong to pore-forming toxins (PFTs), which display virulence against target hosts by forming holes in the cell membrane. Cry6A is a nematicidal PFT, which exhibits unique protein structure and different mode of action than Cry5B, another nematicidal PFT. However, little is known about the mode of action of Cry6A. Although an intracellular nematicidal necrosis pathway of Cry6A was reported, its extracellular mode of action remains unknown. We here demonstrate that the CUB-like-domain containing protein RBT-1 acts as a functional receptor of Cry6A, which mediates the intestinal cell interaction and nematicidal activity of this toxin. RBT-1 represents a new class of crystal protein receptors. RBT-1 is dispensable for Cry5B toxicity against nematodes, consistent with that Cry6A and Cry5B have different nematicidal mechanisms. We also find that Cry6A kills nematodes by complex mechanism since rbt-1 mutation did not affect Cry6A-mediated necrosis signaling pathway. This work not only enhances the understanding of Bt crystal protein-nematode mechanism, but is also in favor for the application of Cry6A in nematode control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianwei Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Donghai Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- * E-mail: (DP); (MS)
| | - Fengjuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Lifang Ruan
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ming Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- * E-mail: (DP); (MS)
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Abstract
Glycosylation refers to the covalent attachment of sugar residues to a protein or lipid, and the biological importance of this modification has been widely recognized. While glycosylation in mammals is being extensively investigated, lower level animals such as invertebrates have not been adequately interrogated for their glycosylation. The rich diversity of invertebrate species, the increased database of sequenced invertebrate genomes and the time and cost efficiency of raising and experimenting on these species have enabled a handful of the species to become excellent model organisms, which have been successfully used as tools for probing various biologically interesting problems. Investigation on invertebrate glycosylation, especially on model organisms, not only expands the structural and functional knowledgebase, but also can facilitate deeper understanding on the biological functions of glycosylation in higher organisms. Here, we reviewed the research advances in invertebrate glycosylation, including N- and O-glycosylation, glycosphingolipids and glycosaminoglycans. The aspects of glycan biosynthesis, structures and functions are discussed, with a focus on the model organisms Drosophila and Caenorhabditis. Analytical strategies for the glycans and glycoconjugates are also summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feifei Zhu
- 1 Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University , Zhenjiang 212013 , People's Republic of China.,2 School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University , Zhenjiang 212013 , People's Republic of China
| | - Dong Li
- 1 Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University , Zhenjiang 212013 , People's Republic of China
| | - Keping Chen
- 1 Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University , Zhenjiang 212013 , People's Republic of China
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13
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Zhu F, Li D, Song D, Xia H, Liu X, Yao Q, Chen K. Precision mapping of N- and O-glycoproteins in viral resistant and susceptible strains of Bombyx mori. J Invertebr Pathol 2019; 167:107250. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2019.107250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Revised: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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14
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Paschinger K, Yan S, Wilson IBH. N-glycomic Complexity in Anatomical Simplicity: Caenorhabditis elegans as a Non-model Nematode? Front Mol Biosci 2019; 6:9. [PMID: 30915340 PMCID: PMC6422873 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2019.00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans is a genetically well-studied model nematode or "worm"; however, its N-glycomic complexity is actually baffling and still not completely unraveled. Some features of its N-glycans are, to date, unique and include bisecting galactose and up to five fucose residues associated with the asparagine-linked Man2-3GlcNAc2 core; the substitutions include galactosylation of fucose, fucosylation of galactose and methylation of mannose or fucose residues as well as phosphorylcholine on antennal (non-reducing) N-acetylglucosamine. Only some of these modifications are shared with various other nematodes, while others have yet to be detected in any other species. Thus, C. elegans can be used as a model for some aspects of N-glycan function, but its glycome is far from identical to those of other organisms and is actually far from simple. Possibly the challenges of its native environment, which differ from those of parasitic or necromenic species, led to an anatomically simple worm possessing a complex glycome.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shi Yan
- Institut für Parasitologie, Veterinärmedizinische Universität, Wien, Austria
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15
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Jankowska E, Parsons LM, Song X, Smith DF, Cummings RD, Cipollo JF. A comprehensive Caenorhabditis elegans N-glycan shotgun array. Glycobiology 2018; 28:223-232. [PMID: 29325093 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwy002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Here we present a Caenorhabditis elegans N-glycan shotgun array. This nematode serves as a model organism for many areas of biology including but not limited to tissue development, host-pathogen interactions, innate immunity, and genetics. Caenorhabditis elegans N-glycans contain structural motifs that are also found in other nematodes as well as trematodes and lepidopteran species. Glycan binding toxins that interact with C. elegans glycoconjugates also do so with some agriculturally relevant species, such as Haemonchus contortus, Ascaris suum, Oesophagostomum dentatum and Trichoplusia ni. This situation implies that protein-carbohydrate interactions seen with C. elegans glycans may also occur in other species with related glycan structures. Therefore, this array may be useful to study these relationships in other nematodes as well as trematode and insect species. The array contains 134 distinct glycomers spanning a wide range of C. elegans N-glycans including the subclasses high mannose, pauci mannose, high fucose, mammalian-like complex and phosphorylcholine substituted forms. The glycans presented on the array have been characterized by two-dimensional separation, ion trap mass spectrometry, and lectin affinity. High fucose glycans were well represented and contain many novel core structures found in C. elegans as well as other species. This array should serve as an investigative platform for carbohydrate binding proteins that interact with N-glycans of C. elegans and over a range of organisms that contain glycan motifs conserved with this nematode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Jankowska
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, USA
| | - Lisa M Parsons
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, USA
| | - Xuezheng Song
- Emory Comprehensive Glycomics Core, Emory University School of Medicine, Room 105H, Whitehead Biomedical Res. Bldg., 615 Michael Street, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Dave F Smith
- Emory Comprehensive Glycomics Core, Emory University School of Medicine, Room 105H, Whitehead Biomedical Res. Bldg., 615 Michael Street, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Richard D Cummings
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - John F Cipollo
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002, USA
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16
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Weeks JC, Roberts WM, Leasure C, Suzuki BM, Robinson KJ, Currey H, Wangchuk P, Eichenberger RM, Saxton AD, Bird TD, Kraemer BC, Loukas A, Hawdon JM, Caffrey CR, Liachko NF. Sertraline, Paroxetine, and Chlorpromazine Are Rapidly Acting Anthelmintic Drugs Capable of Clinical Repurposing. Sci Rep 2018; 8:975. [PMID: 29343694 PMCID: PMC5772060 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18457-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Accepted: 12/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasitic helminths infect over 1 billion people worldwide, while current treatments rely on a limited arsenal of drugs. To expedite drug discovery, we screened a small-molecule library of compounds with histories of use in human clinical trials for anthelmintic activity against the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. From this screen, we found that the neuromodulatory drugs sertraline, paroxetine, and chlorpromazine kill C. elegans at multiple life stages including embryos, developing larvae and gravid adults. These drugs act rapidly to inhibit C. elegans feeding within minutes of exposure. Sertraline, paroxetine, and chlorpromazine also decrease motility of adult Trichuris muris whipworms, prevent hatching and development of Ancylostoma caninum hookworms and kill Schistosoma mansoni flatworms, three widely divergent parasitic helminth species. C. elegans mutants with resistance to known anthelmintic drugs such as ivermectin are equally or more susceptible to these three drugs, suggesting that they may act on novel targets to kill worms. Sertraline, paroxetine, and chlorpromazine have long histories of use clinically as antidepressant or antipsychotic medicines. They may represent new classes of anthelmintic drug that could be used in combination with existing front-line drugs to boost effectiveness of anti-parasite treatment as well as offset the development of parasite drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janis C Weeks
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | - William M Roberts
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | - Caitlyn Leasure
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, George Washington University, Washington D.C., 20052, USA
| | - Brian M Suzuki
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | | | - Heather Currey
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, 98108, USA
| | - Phurpa Wangchuk
- Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD 4878, Australia
| | - Ramon M Eichenberger
- Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD 4878, Australia
| | - Aleen D Saxton
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, 98108, USA
| | - Thomas D Bird
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, 98108, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA
| | - Brian C Kraemer
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, 98108, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
| | - Alex Loukas
- Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD 4878, Australia
| | - John M Hawdon
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, George Washington University, Washington D.C., 20052, USA
| | - Conor R Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Nicole F Liachko
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, 98108, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA.
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17
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Dissimilar Crystal Proteins Cry5Ca1 and Cry5Da1 Synergistically Act against Meloidogyne incognita and Delay Cry5Ba-Based Nematode Resistance. Appl Environ Microbiol 2017; 83:AEM.03505-16. [PMID: 28710264 DOI: 10.1128/aem.03505-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2017] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Cry proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been successfully used as biopesticides and in transgenic crops throughout the world. However, resources against the most serious agricultural pathogens, plant root-knot nematodes, are limited. The genomes of several highly nematicidal virulent Bt strains from our laboratory have been sequenced, facilitating the identification of novel Cry proteins and other virulence factors. We identified two novel Cry proteins, Cry5Ca1 and Cry5Da1, that exhibit high toxicity against Meloidogyne incognita Using the Caenorhabditis elegans model, the two Cry5 toxins were shown to negatively affect nematode life span, fertility, and survival. The 50% lethal concentrations (LC50s) of Cry5Ca1 and Cry5Da1 were 57.22 μg/ml and 36.69 μg/ml, respectively. Moreover, a synergistic effect (synergism factor, 1.61 to 2.04) was observed for nematicidal toxicity of Cry5Ca1 and Cry5Da1, which is accordant with the phylogenetic results suggesting that domain II of the two novel Cry5 toxins evolved into two independent clades. Through comparison of the depressed degree of toxicity in the β-methylgalactoside detoxification test, we found that the novel toxin Cry5D possesses a different galactose-binding epitope; meanwhile, the finding that Cry5D does not share a motif (GXXXE) in the corresponding loop of domain II with Cry5B could explain the different galactose binding performance. Additionally, low-level cross-resistance of C. elegans bre mutant strains was evident between Cry5B and Cry5D. These results suggest that Cry5D can be used as an alternative to delay the potential resistance of nematodes to Cry5B.IMPORTANCE Although proper gene resources for Bt crops against the most serious agricultural pathogens, plant root-knot nematodes, are limited, we have identified two novel nematicidal toxins, Cry5Ca1 and Cry5Da1, against M. incognita, which have supplied more gene candidates for Bt crops designed against nematodes. Moreover, the association of the dissimilarity between Cry5Da1 and Cry5Ba1 and their low cross-resistance can be attributed not only to a low sequence similarity of domain II but also to the structural difference of the key motif and receptor-binding epitope in the loops. This association facilitates the selection of a proper candidate for the prospective design of pyramided Bt crops that can delay potential resistance.
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18
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Schulenburg H, Félix MA. The Natural Biotic Environment of Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2017; 206:55-86. [PMID: 28476862 PMCID: PMC5419493 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.116.195511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 245] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Organisms evolve in response to their natural environment. Consideration of natural ecological parameters are thus of key importance for our understanding of an organism's biology. Curiously, the natural ecology of the model species Caenorhabditis elegans has long been neglected, even though this nematode has become one of the most intensively studied models in biological research. This lack of interest changed ∼10 yr ago. Since then, an increasing number of studies have focused on the nematode's natural ecology. Yet many unknowns still remain. Here, we provide an overview of the currently available information on the natural environment of C. elegans We focus on the biotic environment, which is usually less predictable and thus can create high selective constraints that are likely to have had a strong impact on C. elegans evolution. This nematode is particularly abundant in microbe-rich environments, especially rotting plant matter such as decomposing fruits and stems. In this environment, it is part of a complex interaction network, which is particularly shaped by a species-rich microbial community. These microbes can be food, part of a beneficial gut microbiome, parasites and pathogens, and possibly competitors. C. elegans is additionally confronted with predators; it interacts with vector organisms that facilitate dispersal to new habitats, and also with competitors for similar food environments, including competitors from congeneric and also the same species. Full appreciation of this nematode's biology warrants further exploration of its natural environment and subsequent integration of this information into the well-established laboratory-based research approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hinrich Schulenburg
- Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts Universitaet zu Kiel, 24098 Kiel, Germany
| | - Marie-Anne Félix
- Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, École Normale Supérieure, L'université de Recherche Paris Sciences et Lettres, 75005, France
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19
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Clozapine Modulates Glucosylceramide, Clears Aggregated Proteins, and Enhances ATG8/LC3 in Caenorhabditis elegans. Neuropsychopharmacology 2017; 42:951-962. [PMID: 27711049 PMCID: PMC5312067 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2016.230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Revised: 08/27/2016] [Accepted: 09/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Defining the mechanisms of action of the antipsychotic drug (APD), clozapine, is of great importance, as clozapine is more effective and has therapeutic benefits in a broader range of psychiatric disorders compared with other APDs. Its range of actions have not been fully characterized. Exposure to APDs early in development causes dose-dependent developmental delay and lethality in Caenorhabditis elegans. A previous genome-wide RNAi screen for suppressors of clozapine-induced developmental delay and lethality revealed 40 candidate genes, including sms-1, which encodes a sphingomyelin synthase. One sms-1 isoform is expressed in the C. elegans pharynx, and its transgene rescues the sms-1 mutant phenotype. We examined pharyngeal pumping and observed that clozapine-induced inhibition of pharyngeal pumping requires sms-1, a finding that may explain the role of the gene in mediating clozapine-induced developmental delay/lethality. By analyzing multiple enzymes involved in sphingolipid metabolism, and by observing the effect of addition of various lipids directly to the worms, we suggest that glucosylceramide may be a key mediator of the effects of clozapine. We further observed that clozapine clears protein aggregates, such as α-synuclein, PolyQ protein, and α-1-antitrypsin mutant protein. In addition, it enhances ATG8/LC3. We conclude that clozapine appears to affect the development and induce lethality of worms, in part, through modulating glucosylceramide. We discuss the possible connections among glucosylceramide, protein aggregate clearance, and autophagy. Interactions, including mechanistic pathways involving these elements, may underlie some of the clinical effects of clozapine.
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Yan S, Jin C, Wilson IBH, Paschinger K. Comparisons of Caenorhabditis Fucosyltransferase Mutants Reveal a Multiplicity of Isomeric N-Glycan Structures. J Proteome Res 2015; 14:5291-305. [PMID: 26538210 PMCID: PMC4673604 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.5b00746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have shown a remarkable degree of plasticity in the N-glycome of the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans; ablation of glycosylation-relevant genes can result in radically altered N-glycan profiles despite only minor biological phenotypic effects. Up to four fucose residues and five different linkages of fucose are known on the N-glycans of C. elegans. Due to the complexity in the wild type, we established three mutant strains defective in two core fucosyltransferases each (fut-1;fut-6, fut-1;fut-8, and fut-6;fut-8). Enzymatically released N-glycans were subject to HPLC and MALDI-TOF MS/MS, in combination with various treatments, to verify structural details. The N-glycome of the fut-1;fut-6 mutant was the most complex of the three double-mutant strains due to the extension of the core α1,6-fucose as well as the presence of fucose on the bisecting galactose. In contrast, maximally two fucoses were found on N-glycans of the fut-1;fut-8 and fut-6;fut-8 strains. The different locations and capping of fucose meant that up to 13 isomeric structures, many highly galactosylated, were determined for some single masses. These data not only show the high variability of the N-glycomic capacity of a "simple" nematode but also exemplify the need for multiple approaches to reveal individual glycan structures within complex invertebrate glycomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi Yan
- Department für Chemie, Universität für Bodenkultur , 1190 Wien, Austria
| | - Chunsheng Jin
- Institutionen för Biomedicin, Göteborgs Universitet , 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Iain B H Wilson
- Department für Chemie, Universität für Bodenkultur , 1190 Wien, Austria
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Disruption of the C. elegans Intestinal Brush Border by the Fungal Lectin CCL2 Phenocopies Dietary Lectin Toxicity in Mammals. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0129381. [PMID: 26057124 PMCID: PMC4461262 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2015] [Accepted: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Lectins are non-immunoglobulin carbohydrate-binding proteins without enzymatic activity towards the bound carbohydrates. Many lectins of e.g. plants or fungi have been suggested to act as toxins to defend the host against predators and parasites. We have previously shown that the Coprinopsis cinerea lectin 2 (CCL2), which binds to α1,3-fucosylated N-glycan cores, is toxic to Caenorhabditis elegans and results in developmental delay and premature death. In this study, we investigated the underlying toxicity phenotype at the cellular level by electron and confocal microscopy. We found that CCL2 directly binds to the intestinal apical surface and leads to a highly damaged brush border with loss of microvilli, actin filament depolymerization, and invaginations of the intestinal apical plasma membrane through gaps in the terminal web. We excluded several possible toxicity mechanisms such as internalization and pore-formation, suggesting that CCL2 acts directly on intestinal apical plasma membrane or glycocalyx proteins. A genetic screen for C. elegans mutants resistant to CCL2 generated over a dozen new alleles in bre 1, ger 1, and fut 1, three genes required for the synthesis of the sugar moiety recognized by CCL2. CCL2-induced intestinal brush border defects in C. elegans are similar to the damage observed previously in rats after feeding the dietary lectins wheat germ agglutinin or concanavalin A. The evolutionary conserved reaction of the brush border between mammals and nematodes might allow C. elegans to be exploited as model organism for the study of dietary lectin-induced intestinal pathology in mammals.
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Yu Z, Luo H, Xiong J, Zhou Q, Xia L, Sun M, Li L, Yu Z. Bacillus thuringiensis
Cry6A exhibits nematicidal activity to Caenorhabditis elegans bre
mutants and synergistic activity with Cry5B to C
. elegans. Lett Appl Microbiol 2014; 58:511-9. [DOI: 10.1111/lam.12219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2013] [Revised: 01/12/2014] [Accepted: 01/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Z. Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Breeding Base of Microbial Molecular Biology; The Cooperative Innovation Center of Engineering and New Products for Developmental Biology of Hunan Province; College of Life Science; Hunan Normal University; Changsha China
| | - H. Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Breeding Base of Microbial Molecular Biology; The Cooperative Innovation Center of Engineering and New Products for Developmental Biology of Hunan Province; College of Life Science; Hunan Normal University; Changsha China
| | - J. Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Breeding Base of Microbial Molecular Biology; The Cooperative Innovation Center of Engineering and New Products for Developmental Biology of Hunan Province; College of Life Science; Hunan Normal University; Changsha China
| | - Q. Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Breeding Base of Microbial Molecular Biology; The Cooperative Innovation Center of Engineering and New Products for Developmental Biology of Hunan Province; College of Life Science; Hunan Normal University; Changsha China
| | - L. Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Breeding Base of Microbial Molecular Biology; The Cooperative Innovation Center of Engineering and New Products for Developmental Biology of Hunan Province; College of Life Science; Hunan Normal University; Changsha China
| | - M. Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology; College of Life Science and Technology; Huazhong Agricultural University; Wuhan China
| | - L. Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology; College of Life Science and Technology; Huazhong Agricultural University; Wuhan China
| | - Z. Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology; College of Life Science and Technology; Huazhong Agricultural University; Wuhan China
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Urban JF, Hu Y, Miller MM, Scheib U, Yiu YY, Aroian RV. Bacillus thuringiensis-derived Cry5B has potent anthelmintic activity against Ascaris suum. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2013; 7:e2263. [PMID: 23818995 PMCID: PMC3688533 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2013] [Accepted: 04/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ascaris suum and Ascaris lumbricoides are two closely related geo-helminth parasites that ubiquitously infect pigs and humans, respectively. Ascaris suum infection in pigs is considered a good model for A. lumbricoides infection in humans because of a similar biology and tissue migration to the intestines. Ascaris lumbricoides infections in children are associated with malnutrition, growth and cognitive stunting, immune defects, and, in extreme cases, life-threatening blockage of the digestive tract and aberrant migration into the bile duct and peritoneum. Similar effects can be seen with A. suum infections in pigs related to poor feed efficiency and performance. New strategies to control Ascaris infections are needed largely due to reduced treatment efficacies of current anthelmintics in the field, the threat of resistance development, and the general lack of new drug development for intestinal soil-transmitted helminths for humans and animals. Here we demonstrate for the first time that A. suum expresses the receptors for Bacillus thuringiensis crystal protein and novel anthelmintic Cry5B, which has been previously shown to intoxicate hookworms and which belongs to a class of proteins considered non-toxic to vertebrates. Cry5B is able to intoxicate A. suum larvae and adults and triggers the activation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway similar to that observed with other nematodes. Most importantly, two moderate doses of 20 mg/kg body weight (143 nM/kg) of Cry5B resulted in a near complete cure of intestinal A. suum infections in pigs. Taken together, these results demonstrate the excellent potential of Cry5B to treat Ascaris infections in pigs and in humans and for Cry5B to work effectively in the human gastrointestinal tract. Ascaris suum is an intestinal parasitic nematode of pigs that is very closely related to Ascaris lumbricoides, a major intestinal parasitic nematode of humans that infects more than one billion people worldwide. Because of reduced efficacy and the threat of resistance to the current small set of approved drugs to treat Ascaris infections, new treatments are needed. Here we test against A. suum infections the effectiveness of Cry5B, a nematode-killing protein made by the natural soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis and representing a promising new class of anthelmintics. We demonstrate for the first time that A. suum possesses the receptors to bind Cry5B and that Cry5B can kill A. suum larvae and adults in culture. Most importantly, we demonstrate that oral administration of Cry5B to pigs infected with A. suum larvae results in a near complete elimination of the infection. Given the similarities between A. suum and A. lumbricoides and the similarity between the pig and human gastrointestinal tracts, our data indicate that Cry5B has excellent potential to treat Ascaris infections in veterinary animals and in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph F. Urban
- USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Diet, Genomics, and Immunology Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Yan Hu
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Melanie M. Miller
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Ulrike Scheib
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Ying Y. Yiu
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Raffi V. Aroian
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Hu Y, Aroian RV. Bacterial pore-forming proteins as anthelmintics. INVERTEBRATE NEUROSCIENCE : IN 2012; 12:37-41. [PMID: 22562659 PMCID: PMC3889471 DOI: 10.1007/s10158-012-0135-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2012] [Accepted: 04/18/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Crystal (Cry) proteins are made by the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Cry proteins are pore-forming proteins and are the most widely used biological insecticides in the world. Our laboratory found some Cry proteins are highly effective against a broad range of nematodes (roundworms). Here, we discuss our results of Cry protein activity against intestinal roundworms. Both Cry5B and Cry21A have therapeutic activities against infections of the roundworm Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri in mice. Cry5B also shows highly therapeutic activity against Ancylostoma ceylanicum infection in hamsters. A. ceylanicum is a minor hookworm parasite of humans, and it is closely related to the more prevalent Ancylostoma duodenale. In addition, Cry proteins show excellent combinatorial therapeutic properties with nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) agonists, one of the two classes of compounds approved by the World Health Organization for the treatment for intestinal roundworms in humans. Given their non-toxicity to humans and their broad spectrum of nematicidal action, Cry proteins show great potential as next-generation anthelmintics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Hu
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0322, La Jolla, CA 92093-0322, USA
| | - Raffi V. Aroian
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0322, La Jolla, CA 92093-0322, USA
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25
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Ma G, Rahman MM, Grant W, Schmidt O, Asgari S. Insect tolerance to the crystal toxins Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab is mediated by the binding of monomeric toxin to lipophorin glycolipids causing oligomerization and sequestration reactions. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2012; 37:184-192. [PMID: 21925538 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2011.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2011] [Revised: 08/30/2011] [Accepted: 08/31/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Endotoxins from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis are used worldwide to control insect pests and vectors of diseases. Despite extensive use of the toxins as sprays and in transgenic crops, their mode of action is still not completely known. Here we show that two crystal toxins binding to different glycoprotein receptors have similar glycolipid binding properties. The glycolipid binding domain was identified in a recombinant peptide representing the domain II of the crystal toxin Cry1Ac (M-peptide). The recombinant M-peptide was isolated from bacterial lysates as a mixture of monomers and dimers and formed tetramers upon binding to glycolipid microvesicles from gut tissues and lipid particles from hemolymph plasma. Likewise, when mature toxins and M-peptides where mixed with plasma, these peptides bind to lipid particles and can be separated with lipophorin particles on low-density gradients. When mature toxin and M-peptides are added to lipid particles in increasing amounts, the peptide-particle complexes form higher aggregates that are similar to aggregates formed in low-density gradients in the presence of the toxin. This could indicate that glycolipids on lipid particles are possible targets for toxin monomers in the gut lumen, which upon binding to the glycolipids form tetramers and aggregate particles and thereby sequester the toxin inside the gut lumen before it can interact with receptors on the brush border membrane. The implication is that domain II interacting with glycolipids mediate tolerance to the toxin that is separate from interaction of the toxin with glycoprotein receptors causing toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Ma
- Insect Molecular Biology, Waite Campus, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia
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26
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Geyer H, Schmidt M, Müller M, Schnabel R, Geyer R. Mass spectrometric comparison of N-glycan profiles from Caenorhabditis elegans mutant embryos. Glycoconj J 2012; 29:135-45. [PMID: 22407488 DOI: 10.1007/s10719-012-9371-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2012] [Revised: 02/17/2012] [Accepted: 02/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a well-characterized eukaryotic model organism. Recent glycomic analyses of the glycosylation potential of this worm revealed an extremely high structural variability of its N-glycans. Moreover, the glycan patterns of each developmental stage appeared to be unique. In this study we have determined the N-glycan profiles of wild-type embryos in comparison to mutant embryos arresting embryogenesis early before differentiation and causing extensive transformations of cell identities, which allows to follow the diversification of N-glycans during development using mass spectrometry. As a striking feature, wild-type embryos obtained from liquid culture expressed a less heterogeneous oligosaccharide pattern than embryos recovered from agar plates. N-glycan profiles of mutant embryos displayed, in part, distinct differences in comparison to wild-type embryos suggesting alterations in oligosaccharide trimming and processing, which may be linked to specific cell fate alterations in the embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hildegard Geyer
- Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Giessen, Friedrichstrasse 24, 35392, Giessen, Germany
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27
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Harvey DJ. Analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry: an update for 2007-2008. MASS SPECTROMETRY REVIEWS 2012; 31:183-311. [PMID: 21850673 DOI: 10.1002/mas.20333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2010] [Revised: 01/04/2011] [Accepted: 01/04/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
This review is the fifth update of the original review, published in 1999, on the application of MALDI mass spectrometry to the analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates and brings coverage of the literature to the end of 2008. The first section of the review covers fundamental studies, fragmentation of carbohydrate ions, use of derivatives and new software developments for analysis of carbohydrate spectra. Among newer areas of method development are glycan arrays, MALDI imaging and the use of ion mobility spectrometry. The second section of the review discusses applications of MALDI MS to the analysis of different types of carbohydrate. Specific compound classes that are covered include carbohydrate polymers from plants, N- and O-linked glycans from glycoproteins, biopharmaceuticals, glycated proteins, glycolipids, glycosides and various other natural products. There is a short section on the use of MALDI mass spectrometry for the study of enzymes involved in glycan processing and a section on the use of MALDI MS to monitor products of the chemical synthesis of carbohydrates with emphasis on carbohydrate-protein complexes and glycodendrimers. Corresponding analyses by electrospray ionization now appear to outnumber those performed by MALDI and the amount of literature makes a comprehensive review on this technique impractical. However, most of the work relating to sample preparation and glycan synthesis is equally relevant to electrospray and, consequently, those proposing analyses by electrospray should also find material in this review of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Harvey
- Oxford Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK.
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28
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Struwe WB, Reinhold VN. The conserved oligomeric Golgi complex is required for fucosylation of N-glycans in Caenorhabditis elegans. Glycobiology 2012; 22:863-75. [PMID: 22377913 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cws053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The conserved oligomeric Golgi complex (COG) is a hetero-octomeric peripheral membrane protein required for retrograde vesicular transport and glycoconjugate biosynthesis within the Golgi. Mutations in subunits 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are the basis for a rare inheritable human disease termed congenital disorders of glycosylation type-II. Defects to COG complex function result in aberrant glycosylation, protein trafficking and Golgi structure. The cellular function of the COG complex and its role in protein glycosylation are not completely understood. In this study, we report the first detailed structural analysis of N-glycans from a COG complex-deficient organism. We employed sequential ion trap mass spectrometry of permethylated N-glycans to demonstrate that the COG complex is essential for the formation of fucose-rich N-glycans, specifically antennae fucosylated structures in Caenorhabditis elegans. Our results support the supposition that disruption to the COG complex interferes with normal protein glycosylation in the medial and/or trans-Golgi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weston B Struwe
- The Glycomics Center, Division of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
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29
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Boehnisch C, Wong D, Habig M, Isermann K, Michiels NK, Roeder T, May RC, Schulenburg H. Protist-type lysozymes of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans contribute to resistance against pathogenic Bacillus thuringiensis. PLoS One 2011; 6:e24619. [PMID: 21931778 PMCID: PMC3169628 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2011] [Accepted: 08/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogens represent a universal threat to other living organisms. Most organisms express antimicrobial proteins and peptides, such as lysozymes, as a protection against these challenges. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans harbours 15 phylogenetically diverse lysozyme genes, belonging to two distinct types, the protist- or Entamoeba-type (lys genes) and the invertebrate-type (ilys genes) lysozymes. In the present study we characterized the role of several protist-type lysozyme genes in defence against a nematocidal strain of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Based on microarray and subsequent qRT-PCR gene expression analysis, we identified protist-type lysozyme genes as one of the differentially transcribed gene classes after infection. A functional genetic analysis was performed for three of these genes, each belonging to a distinct evolutionary lineage within the protist-type lysozymes (lys-2, lys-5, and lys-7). Their knock-out led to decreased pathogen resistance in all three cases, while an increase in resistance was observed when two out of three tested genes were overexpressed in transgenic lines (lys-5, lys-7, but not lys-2). We conclude that the lysozyme genes lys-5, lys-7, and possibly lys-2 contribute to resistance against B. thuringiensis, thus highlighting the particular role of lysozymes in the nematode's defence against pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Boehnisch
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
- Department of Animal Evolutionary Ecology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Wong
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France
- INSERM, Marseille, France
- CNRS, Marseille, France
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Habig
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | | | - Nicolaas K. Michiels
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
- Department of Animal Evolutionary Ecology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Roeder
- Department of Zoophysiology, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Robin C. May
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Hinrich Schulenburg
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
- Department of Animal Evolutionary Ecology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
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30
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Maduzia LL, Yu E, Zhang Y. Caenorhabditis elegans galectins LEC-6 and LEC-10 interact with similar glycoconjugates in the intestine. J Biol Chem 2010; 286:4371-81. [PMID: 21115491 PMCID: PMC3039406 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m110.188581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Galectins are a family of metazoan proteins that show binding to various β-galactoside-containing glycans. Because of a lack of proper tools, the interaction of galectins with their specific glycan ligands in the cells and tissues are largely unknown. We have investigated the localization of galectin ligands in Caenorhabditis elegans using a novel technology that relies on the high binding specificity between galectins and their endogenous ligands. Fluorescently labeled recombinant galectin fusions are found to bind to ligands located in diverse tissues including the intestine, pharynx, and the rectal valve. Consistent with their role as galactoside-binding proteins, the interaction with their ligands is inhibited by galactose or lactose. Two of the galectins, LEC-6 and LEC-10, recognize ligands that co-localize along the intestinal lumen. The ligands for LEC-6 and LEC-10 are absent in three glycosylation mutants bre-1, fut-8, and galt-1, which have been shown to be required to synthesize the Gal-β1,4-Fuc modifications of the core N-glycans unique to C. elegans and several other invertebrates. Both galectins pull down the same set of glycoproteins in a manner dependent on the presence of these carbohydrate modifications. Endogenous LEC-6 and LEC-10 are expressed in the intestinal cells, but they are localized to different subcellular compartments that do not appear to overlap with each other or with the location of their glycan targets. An altered subcellular distribution of these ligands is found in mutants lacking both galectins. These results suggest a model where LEC-6 and LEC-10 interact with glycoproteins through specific glycans to regulate their cellular fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa L Maduzia
- New England Biolabs, Inc, Ipswich, Massachusetts 01938, USA
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31
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Palaima E, Leymarie N, Stroud D, Mizanur RM, Hodgkin J, Gravato-Nobre MJ, Costello CE, Cipollo JF. The Caenorhabditis elegans bus-2 mutant reveals a new class of O-glycans affecting bacterial resistance. J Biol Chem 2010; 285:17662-72. [PMID: 20385555 PMCID: PMC2878530 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109.065433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2009] [Revised: 04/02/2010] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbacterium nematophilum causes a deleterious infection of the C. elegans hindgut initiated by adhesion to rectal and anal cuticle. C. elegans bus-2 mutants, which are resistant to M. nematophilum and also to the formation of surface biofilms by Yersinia sp., carry genetic lesions in a putative glycosyltransferase containing conserved domains of core-1 beta1,3-galactosyltransferases. bus-2 is predicted to act in the synthesis of core-1 type O-glycans. This observation implies that the infection requires the presence of host core-1 O-glycoconjugates and is therefore carbohydrate-dependent. Chemical analysis reported here reveals that bus-2 is indeed deficient in core-1 O-glycans. These mutants also exhibit a new subclass of O-glycans whose structures were determined by high performance tandem mass spectrometry; these are highly fucosylated and have a novel core that contains internally linked GlcA. Lectin studies showed that core-1 glycans and this novel class of O-glycans are both expressed in the tissue that is infected in the wild type worms. In worms having the bus-2 genetic background, core-1 glycans are decreased, whereas the novel fucosyl O-glycans are increased in abundance in this region. Expression analysis using a red fluorescent protein marker showed that bus-2 is expressed in the posterior gut, cuticle seam cells, and spermatheca, the first two of which are likely to be involved in secreting the carbohydrate-rich surface coat of the cuticle. Therefore, in the bus-2 background of reduced core-1 O-glycans, the novel fucosyl glycans likely replace or mask remaining core-1 ligands, leading to the resistance phenotype. There are more than 35 Microbacterium species, some of which are pathogenic in man. This study is the first to analyze the biochemistry of adhesion to a host tissue by a Microbacterium species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Palaima
- From the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Nancy Leymarie
- From the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Dave Stroud
- the Genetics Unit, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom, and
| | - Rahman M. Mizanur
- the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Jonathan Hodgkin
- the Genetics Unit, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom, and
| | - Maria J. Gravato-Nobre
- the Genetics Unit, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom, and
| | - Catherine E. Costello
- From the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - John F. Cipollo
- From the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
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32
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Multiple reciprocal adaptations and rapid genetic change upon experimental coevolution of an animal host and its microbial parasite. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 107:7359-64. [PMID: 20368449 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1003113107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The coevolution between hosts and parasites is predicted to have complex evolutionary consequences for both antagonists, often within short time periods. To date, conclusive experimental support for the predictions is available mainly for microbial host systems, but for only a few multicellular host taxa. We here introduce a model system of experimental coevolution that consists of the multicellular nematode host Caenorhabditis elegans and the microbial parasite Bacillus thuringiensis. We demonstrate that 48 host generations of experimental coevolution under controlled laboratory conditions led to multiple changes in both parasite and host. These changes included increases in the traits of direct relevance to the interaction such as parasite virulence (i.e., host killing rate) and host resistance (i.e., the ability to survive pathogens). Importantly, our results provide evidence of reciprocal effects for several other central predictions of the coevolutionary dynamics, including (i) possible adaptation costs (i.e., reductions in traits related to the reproductive rate, measured in the absence of the antagonist), (ii) rapid genetic changes, and (iii) an overall increase in genetic diversity across time. Possible underlying mechanisms for the genetic effects were found to include increased rates of genetic exchange in the parasite and elevated mutation rates in the host. Taken together, our data provide comprehensive experimental evidence of the consequences of host-parasite coevolution, and thus emphasize the pace and complexity of reciprocal adaptations associated with these antagonistic interactions.
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Butschi A, Titz A, Wälti MA, Olieric V, Paschinger K, Nöbauer K, Guo X, Seeberger PH, Wilson IBH, Aebi M, Hengartner MO, Künzler M. Caenorhabditis elegans N-glycan core beta-galactoside confers sensitivity towards nematotoxic fungal galectin CGL2. PLoS Pathog 2010; 6:e1000717. [PMID: 20062796 PMCID: PMC2798750 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2009] [Accepted: 12/04/2009] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The physiological role of fungal galectins has remained elusive. Here, we show that feeding of a mushroom galectin, Coprinopsis cinerea CGL2, to Caenorhabditis elegans inhibited development and reproduction and ultimately resulted in killing of this nematode. The lack of toxicity of a carbohydrate-binding defective CGL2 variant and the resistance of a C. elegans mutant defective in GDP-fucose biosynthesis suggested that CGL2-mediated nematotoxicity depends on the interaction between the galectin and a fucose-containing glycoconjugate. A screen for CGL2-resistant worm mutants identified this glycoconjugate as a Galbeta1,4Fucalpha1,6 modification of C. elegans N-glycan cores. Analysis of N-glycan structures in wild type and CGL2-resistant nematodes confirmed this finding and allowed the identification of a novel putative glycosyltransferase required for the biosynthesis of this glycoepitope. The X-ray crystal structure of a complex between CGL2 and the Galbeta1,4Fucalpha1,6GlcNAc trisaccharide at 1.5 A resolution revealed the biophysical basis for this interaction. Our results suggest that fungal galectins play a role in the defense of fungi against predators by binding to specific glycoconjugates of these organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Butschi
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Titz
- Institute of Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Martin A. Wälti
- Institute of Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Vincent Olieric
- Swiss Light Source (SLS), Paul-Scherrer-Institute (PSI), Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Katharina Paschinger
- Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - Katharina Nöbauer
- VetOMICS Core Facility for Proteomics & Metabolomics Studies, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Xiaoqiang Guo
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Peter H. Seeberger
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Iain B. H. Wilson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - Markus Aebi
- Institute of Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Markus Künzler
- Institute of Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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Bellier A, Chen CS, Kao CY, Cinar HN, Aroian RV. Hypoxia and the hypoxic response pathway protect against pore-forming toxins in C. elegans. PLoS Pathog 2009; 5:e1000689. [PMID: 20011506 PMCID: PMC2785477 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2009] [Accepted: 11/11/2009] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are by far the most abundant bacterial protein toxins and are important for the virulence of many important pathogens. As such, cellular responses to PFTs critically modulate host-pathogen interactions. Although many cellular responses to PFTs have been recorded, little is understood about their relevance to pathological or defensive outcomes. To shed light on this important question, we have turned to the only genetic system for studying PFT-host interactions—Caenorhabditis elegans intoxication by Crystal (Cry) protein PFTs. We mutagenized and screened for C. elegans mutants resistant to a Cry PFT and recovered one mutant. Complementation, sequencing, transgenic rescue, and RNA interference data demonstrate that this mutant eliminates a gene normally involved in repression of the hypoxia (low oxygen response) pathway. We find that up-regulation of the C. elegans hypoxia pathway via the inactivation of three different genes that normally repress the pathway results in animals resistant to Cry PFTs. Conversely, mutation in the central activator of the hypoxia response, HIF-1, suppresses this resistance and can result in animals defective in PFT defenses. These results extend to a PFT that attacks mammals since up-regulation of the hypoxia pathway confers resistance to Vibrio cholerae cytolysin (VCC), whereas down-regulation confers hypersusceptibility. The hypoxia PFT defense pathway acts cell autonomously to protect the cells directly under attack and is different from other hypoxia pathway stress responses. Two of the downstream effectors of this pathway include the nuclear receptor nhr-57 and the unfolded protein response. In addition, the hypoxia pathway itself is induced by PFT, and low oxygen is protective against PFT intoxication. These results demonstrate that hypoxia and induction of the hypoxia response protect cells against PFTs, and that the cellular environment can be modulated via the hypoxia pathway to protect against the most prevalent class of weapons used by pathogenic bacteria. Bacteria make many different protein toxins to attack our cells and immune system in order to infect. Amongst them, pore-forming toxins (PFTs), which punch holes in the protective plasma membrane that surrounds cells, are by far the most abundant and constitute important virulence factors. Since the integrity of the plasma membrane is fundamental to maintaining the normal intracellular environment, the breaching of the plasma membrane by PFTs results in many and dramatic intracellular responses. However, we know little about the relevance of these responses to cell survival or cell intoxication. Here, using the only genetic system for studying pore-forming toxin effects in a whole animal, we show that the same response that protects cells against low oxygen stress unexpectedly also protects cells against pore-forming toxins. Mutations in the animal that hyper-activate the low oxygen response actually make animals resistant to pore-forming toxin attack, whereas mutations that inactivate the low oxygen response make animals more susceptible. Furthermore, a low oxygen environment itself is protective against pore-forming toxins. These data show a new and powerful connection between low oxygen responses and defense against the single most common mode of bacterial attack.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Bellier
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Chang-Shi Chen
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Cheng-Yuan Kao
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Hediye N. Cinar
- United States Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Division of Virulence Assessment, Laurel, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Raffi V. Aroian
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Leung MCK, Williams PL, Benedetto A, Au C, Helmcke KJ, Aschner M, Meyer JN. Caenorhabditis elegans: an emerging model in biomedical and environmental toxicology. Toxicol Sci 2008; 106:5-28. [PMID: 18566021 PMCID: PMC2563142 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfn121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 662] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2008] [Accepted: 06/10/2008] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has emerged as an important animal model in various fields including neurobiology, developmental biology, and genetics. Characteristics of this animal model that have contributed to its success include its genetic manipulability, invariant and fully described developmental program, well-characterized genome, ease of maintenance, short and prolific life cycle, and small body size. These same features have led to an increasing use of C. elegans in toxicology, both for mechanistic studies and high-throughput screening approaches. We describe some of the research that has been carried out in the areas of neurotoxicology, genetic toxicology, and environmental toxicology, as well as high-throughput experiments with C. elegans including genome-wide screening for molecular targets of toxicity and rapid toxicity assessment for new chemicals. We argue for an increased role for C. elegans in complementing other model systems in toxicological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxwell C. K. Leung
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27750
| | - Phillip L. Williams
- Department of Environmental Health Science, College of Public University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
| | - Alexandre Benedetto
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37240
| | - Catherine Au
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37240
| | - Kirsten J. Helmcke
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37240
| | - Michael Aschner
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37240
| | - Joel N. Meyer
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27750
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Schulenburg H, Hoeppner MP, Weiner J, Bornberg-Bauer E. Specificity of the innate immune system and diversity of C-type lectin domain (CTLD) proteins in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Immunobiology 2008; 213:237-50. [PMID: 18406370 DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2007.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2007] [Revised: 11/25/2007] [Accepted: 12/10/2007] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has become an important model for the study of innate immunity. Its immune system is based on several signaling cascades, including a Toll-like receptor, three mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), one transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), the insulin-like receptor (ILR), and the programmed cell death (PCD) pathway. Furthermore, it also involves C-type lectin domain- (CTLD) containing proteins as well as several classes of antimicrobial effectors such as lysozymes. Almost all components of the nematode immune system have homologs in other organisms, including humans, and are therefore likely of ancient evolutionary origin. At the same time, most of them are part of a general stress response, suggesting that they only provide unspecific defense. In the current article, we re-evaluate this suggestion and explore the level of specificity in C. elegans innate immunity, i.e. the nematode's ability to mount a distinct defense response towards different pathogens. We draw particular attention to the CTLD proteins, which are abundant in the nematode genome (278 genes) and many of which show a pathogen-specific response during infection. Specificity may also be achieved through the differential activation of antimicrobial genes, distinct functions of the immunity signaling cascades as well as signal integration across pathways. Taken together, our evaluation reveals high potential for immune specificity in C. elegans that may enhance the nematode's ability to fight off pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hinrich Schulenburg
- Department of Animal Evolutionary Ecology, Zoological Institute, University of Tuebingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
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Paschinger K, Gutternigg M, Rendić D, Wilson IBH. The N-glycosylation pattern of Caenorhabditis elegans. Carbohydr Res 2007; 343:2041-9. [PMID: 18226806 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2007.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2007] [Revised: 12/07/2007] [Accepted: 12/17/2007] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Determining the exact nature of N-glycosylation in Caenorhabditis elegans, a nematode worm and genetic model organism, has proved to have been an unexpected challenge in recent years; a wide range of modifications of its N-linked oligosaccharides have been proposed on the basis of structural and genomic analysis. Particularly mass spectrometric studies by a number of groups, as well as the characterisation of recombinant enzymes, have highlighted those aspects of N-glycosylation that are conserved in animals, those which are seemingly unique to this species and those which are shared with parasitic nematodes. These data, of importance for therapeutic developments, are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Paschinger
- Department für Chemie, Universität für Bodenkultur, Muthgasse 18, A-1190 Wien, Austria.
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Rendić D, Wilson IBH, Lubec G, Gutternigg M, Altmann F, Léonard R. Adaptation of the "in-gel release method" to N-glycome analysis of low-milligram amounts of material. Electrophoresis 2007; 28:4484-92. [PMID: 18041037 DOI: 10.1002/elps.200700098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2023]
Abstract
Protein N-glycosylation is a post-translational modification which plays numerous crucial physiological roles. The N-glycan pattern varies depending on the species organs, tissues and even cell types and their respective physiological states. Obtaining enough starting material from a particular cell type or tissue for N-glycan purification by conventional methods can, in certain cases, be very difficult. Previously, a sensitive technique, the "in-gel release method" that allows the determination of N-glycans attached to a protein isolated by SDS-PAGE, has been developed in this and other laboratories. Here, we describe the adaptation of this method to obtain information on the N-glycome from minute amounts of tissue. The starting material, ranging from less than a milligram to a few milligrams of fresh tissue, is directly ground in Laemmli sample buffer and subject briefly to discontinuous Tris-glycine-SDS-PAGE. The Coomassie-stained band containing the majority of the proteins is subject to the "in-gel release method". The developed technique was used to analyze N-glycan patterns of different samples from Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Spodoptera frugiperda, Trichoplusia ni, Nicotiana benthamiana, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Mus musculus. Furthermore, the technique was used to determine the effects of transient small-scale RNAi-mediated knock-down of a glycosylation-related gene in Drosophila Schneider 2 cell line.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dubravko Rendić
- Department für Chemie der Universität für Bodenkultur, Wien, Austria.
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Barrows BD, Griffitts JS, Aroian RV. Resistance is non-futile: Resistance to Cry5B in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. J Invertebr Pathol 2007; 95:198-200. [PMID: 17482642 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2007.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2007] [Accepted: 03/30/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, can be mutated to resistance to the Cry5B toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis. By cloning and characterization of these C. elegans resistance genes, we have determined that a major mechanism by which C. elegans resists Cry5B is by loss of function mutations in any one of four gylcosyltransferase genes that glycosylate glycolipids specific to arthropods. Without correct gylcosylation, binding of Cry5B is greatly impaired in C. elegans. That these specific arthroseries glycolipids do not occur in vertebrates potentially helps explain why Cry toxins are specific for arthropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brad D Barrows
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0349, USA
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