1
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Hu Q, Xu Y, Song M, Dai Y, Antebi A, Shen Y. BLMP-1 is a critical temporal regulator of dietary-restriction-induced response in Caenorhabditis elegans. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113959. [PMID: 38483903 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The extrinsic diet and the intrinsic developmental programs are intertwined. Although extensive research has been conducted on how nutrition regulates development, whether and how developmental programs control the timing of nutritional responses remain barely known. Here, we report that a developmental timing regulator, BLMP-1/BLIMP1, governs the temporal response to dietary restriction (DR). At the end of larval development, BLMP-1 is induced and interacts with DR-activated PHA-4/FOXA, a key transcription factor responding to the reduced nutrition. By integrating temporal and nutritional signaling, the DR response regulates many development-related genes, including gska-3/GSK3β, through BLMP-1-PHA-4 at the onset of adulthood. Upon DR, a precocious activation of BLMP-1 in early larval stages impairs neuronal development through gska-3, whereas the increase of gska-3 by BLMP-1-PHA-4 at the last larval stage suppresses WNT signaling in adulthood for DR-induced longevity. Our findings reveal a temporal checkpoint of the DR response that protects larval development and promotes adult health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyuan Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yunpeng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Mengjiao Song
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yumin Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Adam Antebi
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 50931 Cologne, Germany; Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Yidong Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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2
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Pires da Silva A, Kelleher R, Reynoldson L. Decoding lifespan secrets: the role of the gonad in Caenorhabditis elegans aging. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2024; 5:1380016. [PMID: 38605866 PMCID: PMC11008531 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2024.1380016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
The gonad has become a central organ for understanding aging in C. elegans, as removing the proliferating stem cells in the germline results in significant lifespan extension. Similarly, when starvation in late larval stages leads to the quiescence of germline stem cells the adult nematode enters reproductive diapause, associated with an extended lifespan. This review summarizes recent advancements in identifying the mechanisms behind gonad-mediated lifespan extension, including comparisons with other nematodes and the role of lipid signaling and transcriptional changes. Given that the gonad also mediates lifespan regulation in other invertebrates and vertebrates, elucidating the underlying mechanisms may help to gain new insights into the mechanisms and evolution of aging.
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3
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Fausett SR, Laury CA, Magallon RE, Braendle C. Simplified Quantification of Progenitor Zone Size, an Indicator of Germ Stem Cell Niche Activity, in the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Methods Mol Biol 2024. [PMID: 38507211 DOI: 10.1007/7651_2024_536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Germ stem cell (GSC) niches are fundamental for the maintenance of the immortal germ cell lineage across generations. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the simple GSC system has served as an important model for understanding stem cell biology and underlying genetic architecture. GSC niche activity in C. elegans is highly sensitive to subtle environmental and genetic variation. Quantifying variation in the C. elegans GSC niche is therefore essential; however, most methods to do so remain labor-intensive and time-consuming when screening large numbers of individuals. Here, we present a simple and efficient method to estimate the size of the C. elegans GSC niche progenitor pool. This method is ideal for detecting differences in progenitor pool size among different genotypes and environmental treatments during medium- to high-throughput applications such as forward genetic screens and quantitative genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R Fausett
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, IBV, Nice, France.
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA.
| | - Caroline A Laury
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA
| | - Rachel E Magallon
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA
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4
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Abstract
Numerous examples of different phenotypic outcomes in response to varying environmental conditions have been described across phyla, from plants to mammals. Here, we examine the impact of the environment on different developmental traits, focusing in particular on one key environmental variable, nutrient availability. We present advances in our understanding of developmental plasticity in response to food variation using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which provides a near-isogenic context while permitting lab-controlled environments and analysis of wild isolates. We discuss how this model has allowed investigators not only to describe developmental plasticity events at the organismal level but also to zoom in on the tissues involved in translating changes in the environment into a plastic response, as well as the underlying molecular pathways, and sometimes associated changes in behaviour. Lastly, we also discuss how early life starvation experiences can be logged to later impact adult physiological traits, and how such memory could be wired.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Jarriault
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Inserm, IGBMC, Development and Stem Cells Department, UMR 7104 - UMR-S 1258, F-67400 Illkirch, France
| | - Christelle Gally
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Inserm, IGBMC, Development and Stem Cells Department, UMR 7104 - UMR-S 1258, F-67400 Illkirch, France
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5
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Bollen DP, Reddy KC, Lascarez-Lagunas LI, Kim DH, Colaiácovo MP. Germline mitotic quiescence and cell death are induced in Caenorhabditis elegans by exposure to pathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Genetics 2024; 226:iyad197. [PMID: 37956057 PMCID: PMC10763535 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The impact of exposure to microbial pathogens on animal reproductive capacity and germline physiology is not well understood. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a bacterivore that encounters pathogenic microbes in its natural environment. How pathogenic bacteria affect host reproductive capacity of C. elegans is not well understood. Here, we show that exposure of C. elegans hermaphrodites to the Gram-negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes a marked reduction in brood size with concomitant reduction in the number of nuclei in the germline and gonad size. We define 2 processes that are induced that contribute to the decrease in the number of germ cell nuclei. First, we observe that infection with P. aeruginosa leads to the induction of germ cell apoptosis. Second, we observe that this exposure induces mitotic quiescence in the proliferative zone of the C. elegans gonad. Importantly, these processes appear to be reversible; when animals are removed from the presence of P. aeruginosa, germ cell apoptosis is abated, germ cell nuclei numbers increase, and brood sizes recover. The reversible germline dynamics during exposure to P. aeruginosa may represent an adaptive response to improve survival of progeny and may serve to facilitate resource allocation that promotes survival during pathogen infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P Bollen
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Kirthi C Reddy
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | | | - Dennis H Kim
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Monica P Colaiácovo
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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6
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Easwaran S, Montell DJ. The molecular mechanisms of diapause and diapause-like reversible arrest. Biochem Soc Trans 2023; 51:1847-1856. [PMID: 37800560 PMCID: PMC10657177 DOI: 10.1042/bst20221431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Diapause is a protective mechanism that many organisms deploy to overcome environmental adversities. Diapause extends lifespan and fertility to enhance the reproductive success and survival of the species. Although diapause states have been known and employed for commercial purposes, for example in the silk industry, detailed molecular and cell biological studies are an exciting frontier. Understanding diapause-like protective mechanisms will shed light on pathways that steer organisms through adverse conditions. One hope is that an understanding of the mechanisms that support diapause might be leveraged to extend the lifespan and/or health span of humans as well as species threatened by climate change. In addition, recent findings suggest that cancer cells that persist after treatment mimic diapause-like states, implying that these programs may facilitate cancer cell survival from chemotherapy and cause relapse. Here, we review the molecular mechanisms underlying diapause programs in a variety of organisms, and we discuss pathways supporting diapause-like states in tumor persister cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sreesankar Easwaran
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, U.S.A
| | - Denise J. Montell
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, U.S.A
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7
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Santos J, Matos M, Flatt T, Chelo IM. Microbes are potential key players in the evolution of life histories and aging in Caenorhabditis elegans. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10537. [PMID: 37753311 PMCID: PMC10518755 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbes can have profound effects on host fitness and health and the appearance of late-onset diseases. Host-microbe interactions thus represent a major environmental context for healthy aging of the host and might also mediate trade-offs between life-history traits in the evolution of host senescence. Here, we have used the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to study how host-microbe interactions may modulate the evolution of life histories and aging. We first characterized the effects of two non-pathogenic and one pathogenic Escherichia coli strains, together with the pathogenic Serratia marcescens DB11 strain, on population growth rates and survival of C. elegans from five different genetic backgrounds. We then focused on an outbred C. elegans population, to understand if microbe-specific effects on the reproductive schedule and in traits such as developmental rate and survival were also expressed in the presence of males and standing genetic variation, which could be relevant for the evolution of C. elegans and other nematode species in nature. Our results show that host-microbe interactions have a substantial host-genotype-dependent impact on the reproductive aging and survival of the nematode host. Although both pathogenic bacteria reduced host survival in comparison with benign strains, they differed in how they affected other host traits. Host fertility and population growth rate were affected by S. marcescens DB11 only during early adulthood, whereas this occurred at later ages with the pathogenic E. coli IAI1. In both cases, these effects were largely dependent on the host genotypes. Given such microbe-specific genotypic differences in host life history, we predict that the evolution of reproductive schedules and senescence might be critically contingent on host-microbe interactions in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josiane Santos
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability InstituteLisboaPortugal
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade de LisboaLisboaPortugal
| | - Margarida Matos
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability InstituteLisboaPortugal
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade de LisboaLisboaPortugal
| | - Thomas Flatt
- Department of BiologyUniversity of FribourgFribourgSwitzerland
| | - Ivo M. Chelo
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability InstituteLisboaPortugal
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade de LisboaLisboaPortugal
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8
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Doering KRS, Ermakova G, Taubert S. Nuclear hormone receptor NHR-49 is an essential regulator of stress resilience and healthy aging in Caenorhabditis elegans. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1241591. [PMID: 37645565 PMCID: PMC10461480 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1241591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The genome of Caenorhabditis elegans encodes 284 nuclear hormone receptor, which perform diverse functions in development and physiology. One of the best characterized of these is NHR-49, related in sequence and function to mammalian hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α. Initially identified as regulator of lipid metabolism, including fatty acid catabolism and desaturation, additional important roles for NHR-49 have since emerged. It is an essential contributor to longevity in several genetic and environmental contexts, and also plays vital roles in the resistance to several stresses and innate immune response to infection with various bacterial pathogens. Here, we review how NHR-49 is integrated into pertinent signaling circuits and how it achieves its diverse functions. We also highlight areas for future investigation including identification of regulatory inputs that drive NHR-49 activity and identification of tissue-specific gene regulatory outputs. We anticipate that future work on this protein will provide information that could be useful for developing strategies to age-associated declines in health and age-related human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsie R. S. Doering
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Edwin S. H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Glafira Ermakova
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Edwin S. H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Stefan Taubert
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Edwin S. H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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9
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Bollen DP, Reddy KC, Kim DH, Colaiácovo MP. Germline mitotic quiescence and programmed cell death are induced in C. elegans by exposure to pathogenic P. aeruginosa. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.08.552522. [PMID: 37609207 PMCID: PMC10441368 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.08.552522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
The impact of exposure to microbial pathogens on animal reproductive capacity and germline physiology is not well understood. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a bacterivore that encounters pathogenic microbes in its natural environment. How pathogenic bacteria affect host reproductive capacity of C. elegans is not well understood. Here, we show that exposure of C. elegans hermaphrodites to the Gram-negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes a marked reduction in brood size with concomitant reduction in the number of nuclei in the germline and gonad size. We define two processes that are induced that contribute to the decrease in the number of germ cell nuclei. First, we observe that infection with P. aeruginosa leads to the induction of programmed germ cell death. Second, we observe that this exposure induces mitotic quiescence in the proliferative zone of the C. elegans gonad. Importantly, these processes appear to be reversible; when animals are removed from the presence of P. aeruginosa, germ cell death is abated, germ cell nuclei numbers increase, and brood sizes recover. The reversible germline dynamics during exposure to P. aeruginosa may represent an adaptive response to improve survival of progeny and may serve to facilitate resource allocation that promotes survival during pathogen infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P. Bollen
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Kirthi C. Reddy
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Dennis H. Kim
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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10
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Fausett SR, Sandjak A, Billard B, Braendle C. Higher-order epistasis shapes natural variation in germ stem cell niche activity. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2824. [PMID: 37198172 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38527-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
To study how natural allelic variation explains quantitative developmental system variation, we characterized natural differences in germ stem cell niche activity, measured as progenitor zone (PZ) size, between two Caenorhabditis elegans isolates. Linkage mapping yielded candidate loci on chromosomes II and V, and we found that the isolate with a smaller PZ size harbours a 148 bp promoter deletion in the Notch ligand, lag-2/Delta, a central signal promoting germ stem cell fate. As predicted, introducing this deletion into the isolate with a large PZ resulted in a smaller PZ size. Unexpectedly, restoring the deleted ancestral sequence in the isolate with a smaller PZ did not increase-but instead further reduced-PZ size. These seemingly contradictory phenotypic effects are explained by epistatic interactions between the lag-2/Delta promoter, the chromosome II locus, and additional background loci. These results provide first insights into the quantitative genetic architecture regulating an animal stem cell system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R Fausett
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, IBV, Nice, France.
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA.
| | - Asma Sandjak
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, IBV, Nice, France
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11
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Yu Y, Chen J, An L, Huang T, Wang W, Cheng Z, Wang L, Xu X, Zhao Z, Fu X, Ma J. Knockdown of phosphatases of regenerating liver-1 prolongs the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans via activating DAF-16/FOXO. FASEB J 2023; 37:e22844. [PMID: 36906287 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202202003r] [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: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
Phosphatases of regenerating liver (PRLs) are dual-specificity protein phosphatases. The aberrant expression of PRLs threatens human health, but their biological functions and pathogenic mechanisms are unclear yet. Herein, the structure and biological functions of PRLs were investigated using the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Structurally, this phosphatase in C. elegans, named PRL-1, consisted of a conserved signature sequence WPD loop and a single C(X)5 R domain. Besides, by Western blot, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining, PRL-1 was proved to mainly express in larval stages and express in intestinal tissues. Afterward, by feeding-based RNA-interference method, knockdown of prl-1 prolonged the lifespan of C. elegans but also improved their healthspan, such as locomotion, pharyngeal pumping frequency, and defecation interval time. Furthermore, the above effects of prl-1 appeared to be taken without acting on germline signaling, diet restriction pathway, insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling pathway, and SIR-2.1 but through a DAF-16-dependent pathway. Moreover, knockdown of prl-1 induced the nuclear translocation of DAF-16, and upregulated the expression of daf-16, sod-3, mtl-1, and ctl-2. Finally, suppression of prl-1 also reduced the ROS. In conclusion, suppression of prl-1 enhanced the lifespan and survival quality of C. elegans, which provides a theoretical basis for the pathogenesis of PRLs in related human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaoru Yu
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Jing Chen
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Lu An
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Tianci Huang
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Wenbo Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Ziqi Cheng
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Lu Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xuesong Xu
- Clinical Laboratory of China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Zhizhuang Zhao
- Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Xueqi Fu
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Junfeng Ma
- National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
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12
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Tang D, Tang Q, Huang W, Zhang Y, Tian Y, Fu X. Fasting: From Physiology to Pathology. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2204487. [PMID: 36737846 PMCID: PMC10037992 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202204487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Overnutrition is a risk factor for various human diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, and cancers. Therefore, targeting overnutrition represents a simple but attractive strategy for the treatment of these increasing public health threats. Fasting as a dietary intervention for combating overnutrition has been extensively studied. Fasting has been practiced for millennia, but only recently have its roles in the molecular clock, gut microbiome, and tissue homeostasis and function emerged. Fasting can slow aging in most species and protect against various human diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, and cancers. These centuried and unfading adventures and explorations suggest that fasting has the potential to delay aging and help prevent and treat diseases while minimizing side effects caused by chronic dietary interventions. In this review, recent animal and human studies concerning the role and underlying mechanism of fasting in physiology and pathology are summarized, the therapeutic potential of fasting is highlighted, and the combination of pharmacological intervention and fasting is discussed as a new treatment regimen for human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongmei Tang
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China HospitalSichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of BiotherapyChengduSichuan610041China
| | - Qiuyan Tang
- Neurology Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, School of Clinical MedicineChengdu University of Traditional Chinese MedicineChengduSichuan610075China
| | - Wei Huang
- West China Centre of Excellence for PancreatitisInstitute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western MedicineWest China‐Liverpool Biomedical Research CentreWest China HospitalSichuan UniversityChengduSichuan610041China
| | - Yuwei Zhang
- Division of Endocrinology and MetabolismWest China HospitalSichuan UniversityChengduSichuan610041China
| | - Yan Tian
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China HospitalSichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of BiotherapyChengduSichuan610041China
| | - Xianghui Fu
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China HospitalSichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of BiotherapyChengduSichuan610041China
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13
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Park Y, Gaddy M, Hyun M, Jones ME, Aslam HM, Lee MH. Genetic and Chemical Controls of Sperm Fate and Spermatocyte Dedifferentiation via PUF-8 and MPK-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans. Cells 2023; 12:cells12030434. [PMID: 36766775 PMCID: PMC9913519 DOI: 10.3390/cells12030434] [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: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Using the nematode C. elegans germline as a model system, we previously reported that PUF-8 (a PUF RNA-binding protein) and LIP-1 (a dual-specificity phosphatase) repress sperm fate at 20 °C and the dedifferentiation of spermatocytes into mitotic cells (termed "spermatocyte dedifferentiation") at 25 °C. Thus, double mutants lacking both PUF-8 and LIP-1 produce excess sperm at 20 °C, and their spermatocytes return to mitotically dividing cells via dedifferentiation at 25 °C, resulting in germline tumors. To gain insight into the molecular competence for spermatocyte dedifferentiation, we compared the germline phenotypes of three mutant strains that produce excess sperm-fem-3(q20gf), puf-8(q725); fem-3(q20gf), and puf-8(q725); lip-1(zh15). Spermatocyte dedifferentiation was not observed in fem-3(q20gf) mutants, but it was more severe in puf-8(q725); lip-1(zh15) than in puf-8(q725); fem-3(q20gf) mutants. These results suggest that MPK-1 (the C. elegans ERK1/2 MAPK ortholog) activation in the absence of PUF-8 is required to promote spermatocyte dedifferentiation. This idea was confirmed using Resveratrol (RSV), a potential activator of MPK-1 and ERK1/2 in C. elegans and human cells, respectively. Notably, spermatocyte dedifferentiation was significantly enhanced by RSV treatment in the absence of PUF-8, and its effect was blocked by mpk-1 RNAi. We, therefore, conclude that PUF-8 and MPK-1 are essential regulators for spermatocyte dedifferentiation and tumorigenesis. Since these regulators are broadly conserved, we suggest that similar regulatory circuitry may control cellular dedifferentiation and tumorigenesis in other organisms, including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youngyong Park
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
| | - Matthew Gaddy
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
| | - Moonjung Hyun
- Biological Resources Research Group, Bioenvironmental Science & Toxicology Division, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Jinju 52834, Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Mariah E. Jones
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
| | - Hafiz M. Aslam
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
| | - Myon Hee Lee
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
- Correspondence:
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14
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Crittenden SL, Seidel HS, Kimble J. Analysis of the C. elegans Germline Stem Cell Pool. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2677:1-36. [PMID: 37464233 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3259-8_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] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
The Caenorhabditis elegans germline is an excellent model for studying the genetic and molecular regulation of stem cell self-renewal and progression of cells from a stem cell state to a differentiated state. The germline tissue is organized in an assembly line with the germline stem cell (GSC) pool at one end and differentiated gametes at the other. A simple mesenchymal niche caps the GSC pool and maintains GSCs in an undifferentiated state by signaling through the conserved Notch pathway. Notch signaling activates transcription of the key GSC regulators lst-1 and sygl-1 proteins in a gradient through the GSC pool. LST-1 and SYGL-1 proteins work with PUF RNA regulators in a self-renewal hub to maintain the GSC pool. In this chapter, we present methods for characterizing the C. elegans GSC pool and early stages of germ cell differentiation. The methods include examination of germlines in living and fixed worms, cell cycle analysis, and analysis of markers. We also discuss assays to separate mutant phenotypes that affect the stem cell vs. differentiation decision from those that affect germ cell processes more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L Crittenden
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
| | - Hannah S Seidel
- Department of Biology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USA
| | - Judith Kimble
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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15
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Wood CR, Wu WT, Yang YS, Yang JS, Xi Y, Yang WJ. From ecology to oncology: To understand cancer stem cell dormancy, ask a Brine shrimp (Artemia). Adv Cancer Res 2023; 158:199-231. [PMID: 36990533 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acr.2022.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The brine shrimp (Artemia), releases embryos that can remain dormant for up to a decade. Molecular and cellular level controlling factors of dormancy in Artemia are now being recognized or applied as active controllers of dormancy (quiescence) in cancers. Most notably, the epigenetic regulation by SET domain-containing protein 4 (SETD4), is revealed as highly conserved and the primary control factor governing the maintenance of cellular dormancy from Artemia embryonic cells to cancer stem cells (CSCs). Conversely, DEK, has recently emerged as the primary factor in the control of dormancy exit/reactivation, in both cases. The latter has been now successfully applied to the reactivation of quiescent CSCs, negating their resistance to therapy and leading to their subsequent destruction in mouse models of breast cancer, without recurrence or metastasis potential. In this review, we introduce the many mechanisms of dormancy from Artemia ecology that have been translated into cancer biology, and herald Artemia's arrival on the model organism stage. We show how Artemia studies have unlocked the mechanisms of the maintenance and termination of cellular dormancy. We then discuss how the antagonistic balance of SETD4 and DEK fundamentally controls chromatin structure and consequently governs CSCs function, chemo/radiotherapy resistance, and dormancy in cancers. Many key stages from transcription factors to small RNAs, tRNA trafficking, molecular chaperones, ion channels, and links with various pathways and aspects of signaling are also noted, all of which link studies in Artemia to those of cancer on a molecular and/or cellular level. We particularly emphasize that the application of such emerging factors as SETD4 and DEK may open new and clear avenues for the treatment for various human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R Wood
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Wen-Tao Wu
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yao-Shun Yang
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jin-Shu Yang
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yongmei Xi
- The Women's Hospital, and Institute of Genetics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Genetic & Developmental Disorders, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wei-Jun Yang
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
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16
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Mechanisms of germ cell survival and plasticity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Biochem Soc Trans 2022; 50:1517-1526. [PMID: 36196981 PMCID: PMC9704514 DOI: 10.1042/bst20220878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Animals constantly encounter environmental and physiological stressors that threaten survival and fertility. Somatic stress responses and germ cell arrest/repair mechanisms are employed to withstand such challenges. The Caenorhabditis elegans germline combats stress by initiating mitotic germ cell quiescence to preserve genome integrity, and by removing meiotic germ cells to prevent inheritance of damaged DNA or to tolerate lack of germline nutrient supply. Here, we review examples of germline recovery from distinct stressors - acute starvation and defective splicing - where quiescent mitotic germ cells resume proliferation to repopulate a germ line following apoptotic removal of meiotic germ cells. These protective mechanisms reveal the plastic nature of germline stem cells.
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17
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Huang W, Kew C, Fernandes SDA, Löhrke A, Han L, Demetriades C, Antebi A. Decreased spliceosome fidelity and egl-8 intron retention inhibit mTORC1 signaling to promote longevity. NATURE AGING 2022; 2:796-808. [PMID: 37118503 PMCID: PMC10154236 DOI: 10.1038/s43587-022-00275-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
AbstractChanges in splicing fidelity are associated with loss of homeostasis and aging, yet only a handful of splicing factors have been shown to be causally required to promote longevity, and the underlying mechanisms and downstream targets in these paradigms remain elusive. Surprisingly, we found a hypomorphic mutation within ribonucleoprotein RNP-6/poly(U)-binding factor 60 kDa (PUF60), a spliceosome component promoting weak 3′-splice site recognition, which causes aberrant splicing, elevates stress responses and enhances longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Through genetic suppressor screens, we identify a gain-of-function mutation within rbm-39, an RNP-6-interacting splicing factor, which increases nuclear speckle formation, alleviates splicing defects and curtails longevity caused by rnp-6 mutation. By leveraging the splicing changes induced by RNP-6/RBM-39 activities, we uncover intron retention in egl-8/phospholipase C β4 (PLCB4) as a key splicing target prolonging life. Genetic and biochemical evidence show that neuronal RNP-6/EGL-8 downregulates mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling to control organismal lifespan. In mammalian cells, PUF60 downregulation also potently and specifically inhibits mTORC1 signaling. Altogether, our results reveal that splicing fidelity modulates lifespan through mTOR signaling.
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18
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Nutrient sensing pathways regulating adult reproductive diapause in C. elegans. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0274076. [PMID: 36112613 PMCID: PMC9480990 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic and environmental manipulations, such as dietary restriction, can improve both health span and lifespan in a wide range of organisms, including humans. Changes in nutrient intake trigger often overlapping metabolic pathways that can generate distinct or even opposite outputs depending on several factors, such as when dietary restriction occurs in the lifecycle of the organism or the nature of the changes in nutrients. Due to the complexity of metabolic pathways and the diversity in outputs, the underlying mechanisms regulating diet-associated pro-longevity are not yet well understood. Adult reproductive diapause (ARD) in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans is a dietary restriction model that is associated with lengthened lifespan and reproductive potential. To explore the metabolic pathways regulating ARD in greater depth, we performed a candidate-based genetic screen analyzing select nutrient-sensing pathways to determine their contribution to the regulation of ARD. Focusing on the three phases of ARD (initiation, maintenance, and recovery), we found that ARD initiation is regulated by fatty acid metabolism, sirtuins, AMPK, and the O-linked N-acetyl glucosamine (O-GlcNAc) pathway. Although ARD maintenance was not significantly influenced by the nutrient sensors in our screen, we found that ARD recovery was modulated by energy sensing, stress response, insulin-like signaling, and the TOR pathway. Further investigation of downstream targets of NHR-49 suggest the transcription factor influences ARD initiation through the fatty acid β-oxidation pathway. Consistent with these findings, our analysis revealed a change in levels of neutral lipids associated with ARD entry defects. Our findings identify conserved genetic pathways required for ARD entry and recovery and uncover genetic interactions that provide insight into the role of OGT and OGA.
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Reproductive Span of Caenorhabditis elegans Is Extended by Microbacterium sp. J Nematol 2022; 54:20220010. [PMID: 35860519 PMCID: PMC9260829 DOI: 10.2478/jofnem-2022-0010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The reproductive span (RS) of organisms could be affected by different factors during their lifetime. In the model nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, RS is affected by both genetic and environmental factors. However, none of the factors identified so far were related to environmental bacteria, which may incidentally appear anywhere in the habitats of C. elegans. We aimed to find environmental bacteria that could affect the RS of C. elegans and related species. We tested 109 bacterial isolates and found that Microbacterium sp. CFBb37 increased the RS and lifespan of C. elegans but reduced its brood size. We studied the effect of M. sp. CFBb37 on the RS of Caenorhabditis briggsae, Caenorhabditis tropicalis, and another Rhabditidae family species, Protorhabditis sp., and found similar trends of RS extension in all three cases, suggesting that this bacterial species may induce the extension of RS broadly among Caenorhabditis species and possibly for many other Rhabditidae. This work will facilitate future research on the mechanism underlying the bacterial extension of RS of nematodes and possibly other animals.
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20
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An antagonistic pleiotropic gene regulates the reproduction and longevity tradeoff. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2120311119. [PMID: 35482917 PMCID: PMC9170148 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2120311119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Antagonistic pleiotropy (AP) is a prevailing theory of the evolution of aging; however, it lacks direct experimental evidence at an individual gene level. We performed unbiased translatome analyses of Caenorhabditis elegans recovering from starvation and identified that the trl-1 gene hidden in a pseudogene generates proteinaceous products upon refeeding. Compared with wild-type animals, trl-1 mutants increased brood sizes, shortened the animals’ lifespan, and specifically impaired germline deficiency–induced longevity. The TRL-1 protein undergoes liquid–liquid phase separation, through which TRL-1 granules recruit vitellogenin messenger RNA and inhibit its translation. These results provide evidence that trl-1 regulates the reproduction–longevity tradeoff by optimizing nutrient production for the next generation, thereby supporting the AP theory of aging at the single-gene level. The antagonistic pleiotropy theory of aging proposes that genes enhancing fitness in early life limit the lifespan, but the molecular evidence remains underexplored. By profiling translatome changes in Caenorhabditis elegans during starvation recovery, we find that an open reading frame (ORF) trl-1 “hidden” within an annotated pseudogene significantly translates upon refeeding. trl-1 mutant animals increase brood sizes but shorten the lifespan and specifically impair germline deficiency–induced longevity. The loss of trl-1 abnormally up-regulates the translation of vitellogenin that produces copious yolk to provision eggs, whereas vitellogenin overexpression is known to reduce the lifespan. We show that the TRL-1 protein undergoes liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS), through which TRL-1 granules recruit vitellogenin messenger RNA and inhibit its translation. These results indicate that trl-1 functions as an antagonistic pleiotropic gene to regulate the reproduction–longevity tradeoff by optimizing nutrient production for the next generation.
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21
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Cao W, Tran C, Archer SK, Gopal S, Pocock R. Functional recovery of the germ line following splicing collapse. Cell Death Differ 2022; 29:772-787. [PMID: 34663906 PMCID: PMC8991207 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-021-00891-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Splicing introns from precursor-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) transcripts is essential for translating functional proteins. Here, we report that the previously uncharacterized Caenorhabditis elegans protein MOG-7 acts as a pre-mRNA splicing factor. Depleting MOG-7 from the C. elegans germ line causes intron retention in most germline-expressed genes, impeding the germ cell cycle, and causing defects in nuclear morphology, germ cell identity and sterility. Despite the deleterious consequences caused by MOG-7 loss, the adult germ line can functionally recover to produce viable and fertile progeny when MOG-7 is restored. Germline recovery is dependent on a burst of apoptosis that likely clears defective germ cells, and viable gametes generated from the proliferation of germ cells in the progenitor zone. Together, these findings reveal that MOG-7 is essential for germ cell development, and that the germ line can functionally recover after a collapse in RNA splicing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Cao
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Christopher Tran
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Stuart K. Archer
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Monash Bioinformatics Platform, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Sandeep Gopal
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Roger Pocock
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800 Australia
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22
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Kalichamy SS, Alcantara AV, Yoon KH, Lee JI. A Simple Protocol to Analyze the Effects of Simulated Microgravity on Nematodes. BIOL BULL+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359021150097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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23
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Durkina VB, Chapman JW, Demchenko NL. First observations of ovary regeneration in an amphipod, Ampelisca eschrichtii Krøyer, 1842. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12950. [PMID: 35291485 PMCID: PMC8918206 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Females of the gammaridean amphipod Ampelisca eschrichtii with signs of regenerating, previously atrophied ovaries were recovered from the northeastern shelf of Sakhalin Island (Okhotsk Sea, Russia). Ovarian regeneration was previously unknown for any amphipod species. A. eschrichtii have a predominantly 2-year life cycle (from embryo to adult death) and reproduce once between late winter or early spring at the age of 2 years. Occasionally, females survive to a third year. An adaptive value of extended survival among these females is likely to require that they are also reproductive. Methods Histological sections from a second-year female with ovarian atrophy, a female with normal ovaries, a third-year female with ovarian regeneration, as well as testes of an immature and a sexually mature male were compared to determine the sources of cells of the germinal and somatic lines necessary for ovarian regeneration. Results Ovarian regeneration in the third-year female began with the formation of a new germinal zone from germ cells preserved in the atrophied ovaries and eosinophilic cells of the previously starving second-year female. Eosinophilic cells form the mesodermal component of the germinal zone. A mass of these cells appeared in the second-year female that had atrophied ovaries and in large numbers on the intestine wall of the third-year female with regenerating ovaries. These eosinophilic cells appear to migrate into the regenerating ovaries. Conclusions All germ cells of the second-year female are not lost during ovarian atrophy and can be involved in subsequent ovarian regeneration. Eosinophilic cells involved in ovarian regeneration are of mesodermal origin. The eosinophilic cell morphologies are similar to those of quiescence cells (cells in a reversible state that do not divide but retain the ability to re-enter cell division and participate in regeneration). These histological data thus indicate that eosinophilic and germ cells of third-year females can participate in the regeneration of the ovaries to reproduce a second brood. The precursors of these third-year females (a small number the second-year females with an asynchronous [summer] breeding period and ovaries that have atrophied due to seasonal starvation) appear to possess sources of somatic and germ cells that are sufficient for ovarian regeneration and that may be adaptations to starvation stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina B. Durkina
- Laboratory of Physiology, A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, Russia
| | - John W. Chapman
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Natalia L. Demchenko
- Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, Russia
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24
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Hou X, Zhu C, Xu M, Chen X, Sun C, Nashan B, Guang S, Feng X. The SNAPc complex mediates starvation-induced trans-splicing in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Genet Genomics 2022; 49:952-964. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2022.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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25
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Fausett S, Poullet N, Gimond C, Vielle A, Bellone M, Braendle C. Germ cell apoptosis is critical to maintain Caenorhabditis elegans offspring viability in stressful environments. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260573. [PMID: 34879088 PMCID: PMC8654231 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Maintaining reproduction in highly variable, often stressful, environments is an essential challenge for all organisms. Even transient exposure to mild environmental stress may directly damage germ cells or simply tax the physiology of an individual, making it difficult to produce quality gametes. In Caenorhabditis elegans, a large fraction of germ cells acts as nurse cells, supporting developing oocytes before eventually undergoing so-called physiological germ cell apoptosis. Although C. elegans apoptosis has been extensively studied, little is known about how germline apoptosis is influenced by ecologically relevant environmental stress. Moreover, it remains unclear to what extent germline apoptosis contributes to maintaining oocyte quality, and thus offspring viability, in such conditions. Here we show that exposure to diverse environmental stressors, likely occurring in the natural C. elegans habitat (starvation, ethanol, acid, and mild oxidative stress), increases germline apoptosis, consistent with previous reports on stress-induced apoptosis. Using loss-of-function mutant alleles of ced-3 and ced-4, we demonstrate that eliminating the core apoptotic machinery strongly reduces embryonic survival when mothers are exposed to such environmental stressors during early adult life. In contrast, mutations in ced-9 and egl-1 that primarily block apoptosis in the soma but not in the germline, did not exhibit such reduced embryonic survival under environmental stress. Therefore, C. elegans germ cell apoptosis plays an essential role in maintaining offspring fitness in adverse environments. Finally, we show that ced-3 and ced-4 mutants exhibit concomitant decreases in embryo size and changes in embryo shape when mothers are exposed to environmental stress. These observations may indicate inadequate oocyte provisioning due to the absence of germ cell apoptosis. Taken together, our results show that the central genes of the apoptosis pathway play a key role in maintaining gamete quality, and thus offspring fitness, under ecologically relevant environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Fausett
- Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Inserm, IBV, Nice, France
| | | | | | - Anne Vielle
- Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Inserm, IBV, Nice, France
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26
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Wrobel CJJ, Yu J, Rodrigues PR, Ludewig AH, Curtis BJ, Cohen SM, Fox BW, O'Donnell MP, Sternberg PW, Schroeder FC. Combinatorial Assembly of Modular Glucosides via Carboxylesterases Regulates C. elegans Starvation Survival. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:14676-14683. [PMID: 34460264 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c05908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The recently discovered modular glucosides (MOGLs) form a large metabolite library derived from combinatorial assembly of moieties from amino acid, neurotransmitter, and lipid metabolism in the model organism C. elegans. Combining CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, comparative metabolomics, and synthesis, we show that the carboxylesterase homologue Cel-CEST-1.2 is responsible for specific 2-O-acylation of diverse glucose scaffolds with a wide variety of building blocks, resulting in more than 150 different MOGLs. We further show that this biosynthetic role is conserved for the closest homologue of Cel-CEST-1.2 in the related nematode species C. briggsae, Cbr-CEST-2. Expression of Cel-cest-1.2 and MOGL biosynthesis are strongly induced by starvation conditions in C. elegans, one of the premier model systems for mechanisms connecting nutrition and physiology. Cel-cest-1.2-deletion results in early death of adult animals under starvation conditions, providing first insights into the biological functions of MOGLs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chester J J Wrobel
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Jingfang Yu
- 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
| | - Andreas H Ludewig
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Brian J Curtis
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Sarah M Cohen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Bennett W Fox
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Michael P O'Donnell
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Paul W Sternberg
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, 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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27
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Shafer CM, Tseng A, Allard P, McEvoy MM. Strength of Cu-efflux response in E. coli coordinates metal resistance in C. elegans and contributes to the severity of environmental toxicity. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:101060. [PMID: 34375643 PMCID: PMC8424214 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Without effective homeostatic systems in place, excess copper (Cu) is universally toxic to organisms. While increased utilization of anthropogenic Cu in the environment has driven the diversification of Cu-resistance systems within enterobacteria, little research has focused on how this change in bacterial architecture impacts host organisms that need to maintain their own Cu homeostasis. Therefore, we utilized a simplified host–microbe system to determine whether the efficiency of one bacterial Cu-resistance system, increasing Cu-efflux capacity via the ubiquitous CusRS two-component system, contributes to the availability and subsequent toxicity of Cu in host Caenorhabditis elegans nematode. We found that a fully functional Cu-efflux system in bacteria increased the severity of Cu toxicity in host nematodes without increasing the C. elegans Cu-body burden. Instead, increased Cu toxicity in the host was associated with reduced expression of a protective metal stress-response gene, numr-1, in the posterior pharynx of nematodes where pharyngeal grinding breaks apart ingested bacteria before passing into the digestive tract. The spatial localization of numr-1 transgene activation and loss of bacterially dependent Cu-resistance in nematodes without an effective numr-1 response support the hypothesis that numr-1 is responsive to the bacterial Cu-efflux capacity. We propose that the bacterial Cu-efflux capacity acts as a robust spatial determinant for a host’s response to chronic Cu stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine M Shafer
- Molecular Toxicology Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Ashley Tseng
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Patrick Allard
- Molecular Toxicology Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
| | - Megan M McEvoy
- Molecular Toxicology Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics. University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
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28
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Kang C, Avery L. The FMRFamide Neuropeptide FLP-20 Acts as a Systemic Signal for Starvation Responses in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mol Cells 2021; 44:529-537. [PMID: 34140426 PMCID: PMC8334353 DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2021.0051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Most animals face frequent periods of starvation throughout their entire life and thus need to appropriately adjust their behavior and metabolism during starvation for their survival. Such adaptive responses are regulated by a complex set of systemic signals, including hormones and neuropeptides. While much progress has been made in identifying pathways that regulate nutrient-excessive states, it is still incompletely understood how animals systemically signal their nutrient-deficient states. Here, we showed that the FMRFamide neuropeptide FLP-20 modulates a systemic starvation response in Caenorhabditis elegans. We found that mutation of flp-20 rescued the starvation hypersensitivity of the G protein β-subunit gpb-2 mutants by suppressing excessive autophagy. FLP-20 acted in AIB neurons, where the metabotropic glutamate receptor MGL-2 also functions to modulate a systemic starvation response. Furthermore, FLP-20 modulated starvation-induced fat degradation in a manner dependent on the receptor-type guanylate cyclase GCY-28. Collectively, our results reveal a circuit that senses and signals nutrient-deficient states to modulate a systemic starvation response in multicellular organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanhee Kang
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Leon Avery
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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29
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Sakae Y, Tanaka M. Metabolism and Sex Differentiation in Animals from a Starvation Perspective. Sex Dev 2021; 15:168-178. [PMID: 34284403 DOI: 10.1159/000515281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals determine their sex genetically (GSD: genetic sex determination) and/or environmentally (ESD: environmental sex determination). Medaka (Oryzias latipes) employ a XX/XY GSD system, however, they display female-to-male sex reversal in response to various environmental changes such as temperature, hypoxia, and green light. Interestingly, we found that 5 days of starvation during sex differentiation caused female-to-male sex reversal. In this situation, the metabolism of pantothenate and fatty acid synthesis plays an important role in sex reversal. Metabolism is associated with other biological factors such as germ cells, HPG axis, lipids, and epigenetics, and supplys substances and acts as signal transducers. In this review, we discuss the importance of metabolism during sex differentiation and how metabolism contributes to sex differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Sakae
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Minoru Tanaka
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
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30
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Tolkin T, Hubbard EJA. Germline Stem and Progenitor Cell Aging in C. elegans. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:699671. [PMID: 34307379 PMCID: PMC8297657 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.699671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Like many animals and humans, reproduction in the nematode C. elegans declines with age. This decline is the cumulative result of age-related changes in several steps of germline function, many of which are highly accessible for experimental investigation in this short-lived model organism. Here we review recent work showing that a very early and major contributing step to reproductive decline is the depletion of the germline stem and progenitor cell pool. Since many cellular and molecular aspects of stem cell biology and aging are conserved across animals, understanding mechanisms of age-related decline of germline stem and progenitor cells in C. elegans has broad implications for aging stem cells, germline stem cells, and reproductive aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theadora Tolkin
- Department of Cell Biology, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - E Jane Albert Hubbard
- Department of Cell Biology, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
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31
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Zeng L, Li X, Preusch CB, He GJ, Xu N, Cheung TH, Qu J, Mak HY. Nuclear receptors NHR-49 and NHR-79 promote peroxisome proliferation to compensate for aldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency in C. elegans. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009635. [PMID: 34237064 PMCID: PMC8291716 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The intracellular level of fatty aldehydes is tightly regulated by aldehyde dehydrogenases to minimize the formation of toxic lipid and protein adducts. Importantly, the dysregulation of aldehyde dehydrogenases has been implicated in neurologic disorder and cancer in humans. However, cellular responses to unresolved, elevated fatty aldehyde levels are poorly understood. Here, we report that ALH-4 is a C. elegans aldehyde dehydrogenase that specifically associates with the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and peroxisomes. Based on lipidomic and imaging analysis, we show that the loss of ALH-4 increases fatty aldehyde levels and reduces fat storage. ALH-4 deficiency in the intestine, cell-nonautonomously induces NHR-49/NHR-79-dependent hypodermal peroxisome proliferation. This is accompanied by the upregulation of catalases and fatty acid catabolic enzymes, as indicated by RNA sequencing. Such a response is required to counteract ALH-4 deficiency since alh-4; nhr-49 double mutant animals are sterile. Our work reveals unexpected inter-tissue communication of fatty aldehyde levels and suggests pharmacological modulation of peroxisome proliferation as a therapeutic strategy to tackle pathology related to excess fatty aldehydes. Fatty aldehydes are generated during the turnover of membrane lipids and when cells are under oxidative stress. Because excess fatty aldehydes form toxic adducts with proteins and lipids, their levels are tightly controlled by a family of aldehyde dehydrogenases whose dysfunction has been implicated in genetic disease and cancer in humans. Here, we characterize mutant C. elegans that lack a conserved, membrane-associated aldehyde dehydrogenase ALH-4. Despite elevated levels of fatty aldehydes, these mutant worms survive by increasing the abundance of peroxisomes, which are important organelles for lipid metabolism. Such peroxisome proliferative response depends on the activation of transcription factors NHR-49 and NHR-79, via putative endocrine signals. Accordingly, the fertility of alh-4 mutant worms relies on NHR-49. Our work suggests a latent mechanism that may be activated during aldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lidan Zeng
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xuesong Li
- Biophotonics Research Laboratory, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Christopher B. Preusch
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Gary J. He
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ningyi Xu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Tom H. Cheung
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Center for Stem Cell Research, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China
- State Key Laboratory in Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jianan Qu
- Biophotonics Research Laboratory, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ho Yi Mak
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China
- * E-mail:
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32
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Herrera SC, Bach EA. The Emerging Roles of JNK Signaling in Drosophila Stem Cell Homeostasis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22115519. [PMID: 34073743 PMCID: PMC8197226 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway is an evolutionary conserved kinase cascade best known for its roles during stress-induced apoptosis and tumor progression. Recent findings, however, have identified new roles for this pleiotropic pathway in stem cells during regenerative responses and in cellular plasticity. Here, we provide an overview of recent findings about the new roles of JNK signaling in stem cell biology using two well-established Drosophila models: the testis and the intestine. We highlight the pathway’s roles in processes such as proliferation, death, self-renewal and reprogramming, and discuss the known parallels between flies and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvador C. Herrera
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, CSIC/Universidad Pablo de Olavide/JA, Carretera de Utrera km 1, 41018 Sevilla, Spain
- Correspondence: (S.C.H.); (E.A.B.)
| | - Erika A. Bach
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Stem Cell Biology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Correspondence: (S.C.H.); (E.A.B.)
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33
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Spichal M, Heestand B, Billmyre KK, Frenk S, Mello CC, Ahmed S. Germ granule dysfunction is a hallmark and mirror of Piwi mutant sterility. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1420. [PMID: 33658512 PMCID: PMC7930041 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21635-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
In several species, Piwi/piRNA genome silencing defects cause immediate sterility that correlates with transposon expression and transposon-induced genomic instability. In C. elegans, mutations in the Piwi-related gene (prg-1) and other piRNA deficient mutants cause a transgenerational decline in fertility over a period of several generations. Here we show that the sterility of late generation piRNA mutants correlates poorly with increases in DNA damage signaling. Instead, sterile individuals consistently exhibit altered perinuclear germ granules. We show that disruption of germ granules does not activate transposon expression but induces multiple phenotypes found in sterile prg-1 pathway mutants. Furthermore, loss of the germ granule component pgl-1 enhances prg-1 mutant infertility. Environmental restoration of germ granule function for sterile pgl-1 mutants restores their fertility. We propose that Piwi mutant sterility is a reproductive arrest phenotype that is characterized by perturbed germ granule structure and is phenocopied by germ granule dysfunction, independent of genomic instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Spichal
- grid.410711.20000 0001 1034 1720Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA ,grid.410711.20000 0001 1034 1720Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA ,grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA USA
| | - Bree Heestand
- grid.410711.20000 0001 1034 1720Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA ,grid.410711.20000 0001 1034 1720Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA
| | - Katherine Kretovich Billmyre
- grid.410711.20000 0001 1034 1720Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA ,grid.410711.20000 0001 1034 1720Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA ,grid.250820.d0000 0000 9420 1591Present Address: Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO USA
| | - Stephen Frenk
- grid.410711.20000 0001 1034 1720Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA ,grid.410711.20000 0001 1034 1720Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA ,Present Address: Achilles Therapeutics Limited, London, UK
| | - Craig C. Mello
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA USA ,grid.413575.10000 0001 2167 1581Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Worcester, MA USA
| | - Shawn Ahmed
- grid.410711.20000 0001 1034 1720Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA ,grid.410711.20000 0001 1034 1720Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA ,grid.410711.20000 0001 1034 1720Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC USA
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34
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Developmental plasticity and the response to nutrient stress in Caenorhabditis elegans. Dev Biol 2021; 475:265-276. [PMID: 33549550 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Developmental plasticity refers the ability of an organism to adapt to various environmental stressors, one of which is nutritional stress. Caenorhabditis elegans require various nutrients to successfully progress through all the larval stages to become a reproductive adult. If nutritional criteria are not satisfied, development can slow or completely arrest. In poor growth conditions, the animal can enter various diapause stages, depending on its developmental progress. In C. elegans, there are three well-characterized diapauses: the L1 arrest, the dauer diapause, and adult reproductive diapause, each associated with drastic changes in metabolism and germline development. At the centre of these changes is AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK is a metabolic regulator that maintains energy homeostasis, particularly during times of nutrient stress. Without AMPK, metabolism is disrupted during dauer, leading to the rapid consumption of lipid stores as well as misregulation of metabolic enzymes, leading to reduced survival. During the L1 arrest and dauer diapause, AMPK is responsible for ensuring germline quiescence by modifying the germline chromatin landscape to maintain germ cell integrity until conditions improve. Similar to classic hormonal signalling, small RNAs also play a critical role in regulating development and behaviour in a cell non-autonomous fashion. Thus, during the challenges associated with developmental plasticity, AMPK summons an army of signalling pathways to work collectively to preserve reproductive fitness during these periods of unprecedented uncertainty.
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35
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Taylor SKB, Minhas MH, Tong J, Selvaganapathy PR, Mishra RK, Gupta BP. C. elegans electrotaxis behavior is modulated by heat shock response and unfolded protein response signaling pathways. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3115. [PMID: 33542359 PMCID: PMC7862228 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82466-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The nematode C. elegans is a leading model to investigate the mechanisms of stress-induced behavioral changes coupled with biochemical mechanisms. Our group has previously characterized C. elegans behavior using a microfluidic-based electrotaxis device, and showed that worms display directional motion in the presence of a mild electric field. In this study, we describe the effects of various forms of genetic and environmental stress on the electrotactic movement of animals. Using exposure to chemicals, such as paraquat and tunicamycin, as well as mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) unfolded protein response (UPR) mutants, we demonstrate that chronic stress causes abnormal movement. Additionally, we report that pqe-1 (human RNA exonuclease 1 homolog) is necessary for the maintenance of multiple stress response signaling and electrotaxis behavior of animals. Further, exposure of C. elegans to several environmental stress-inducing conditions revealed that while chronic heat and dietary restriction caused electrotaxis speed deficits due to prolonged stress, daily exercise had a beneficial effect on the animals, likely due to improved muscle health and transient activation of UPR. Overall, these data demonstrate that the electrotaxis behavior of worms is susceptible to cytosolic, mitochondrial, and ER stress, and that multiple stress response pathways contribute to its preservation in the face of stressful stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane K. B. Taylor
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada
| | - Muhammad H. Minhas
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada
| | - Justin Tong
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada
| | - P. Ravi Selvaganapathy
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Department of Mechanical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada
| | - Ram K. Mishra
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada
| | - Bhagwati P. Gupta
- grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada
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36
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Patel DS, Diana G, Entchev EV, Zhan M, Lu H, Ch'ng Q. A Multicellular Network Mechanism for Temperature-Robust Food Sensing. Cell Rep 2020; 33:108521. [PMID: 33357442 PMCID: PMC7773553 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Responsiveness to external cues is a hallmark of biological systems. In complex environments, it is crucial for organisms to remain responsive to specific inputs even as other internal or external factors fluctuate. Here, we show how the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can discriminate between different food levels to modulate its lifespan despite temperature perturbations. This end-to-end robustness from environment to physiology is mediated by food-sensing neurons that communicate via transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) and serotonin signals to form a multicellular gene network. Specific regulations in this network change sign with temperature to maintain similar food responsiveness in the lifespan output. In contrast to robustness of stereotyped outputs, our findings uncover a more complex robustness process involving the higher order function of discrimination in food responsiveness. This process involves rewiring a multicellular network to compensate for temperature and provides a basis for understanding gene-environment interactions. Together, our findings unveil sensory computations that integrate environmental cues to govern physiology. C. elegans’ ability to modulate lifespan in response to food is robust to temperature Robustness requires TGF-β and serotonin signaling in a neuronal network Specific regulations in the neuronal network change sign with temperature Temperature-dependent regulations compensate for temperature
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhaval S Patel
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK; School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0100, USA
| | - Giovanni Diana
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Eugeni V Entchev
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Mei Zhan
- Interdisciplinary Bioengineering Graduate Program, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0100, USA; Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0100, USA; School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0100, USA
| | - Hang Lu
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0100, USA; School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0100, USA
| | - QueeLim Ch'ng
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK.
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37
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Baugh LR, Hu PJ. Starvation Responses Throughout the Caenorhabditiselegans Life Cycle. Genetics 2020; 216:837-878. [PMID: 33268389 PMCID: PMC7768255 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.120.303565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans survives on ephemeral food sources in the wild, and the species has a variety of adaptive responses to starvation. These features of its life history make the worm a powerful model for studying developmental, behavioral, and metabolic starvation responses. Starvation resistance is fundamental to life in the wild, and it is relevant to aging and common diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Worms respond to acute starvation at different times in the life cycle by arresting development and altering gene expression and metabolism. They also anticipate starvation during early larval development, engaging an alternative developmental program resulting in dauer diapause. By arresting development, these responses postpone growth and reproduction until feeding resumes. A common set of signaling pathways mediates systemic regulation of development in each context but with important distinctions. Several aspects of behavior, including feeding, foraging, taxis, egg laying, sleep, and associative learning, are also affected by starvation. A variety of conserved signaling, gene regulatory, and metabolic mechanisms support adaptation to starvation. Early life starvation can have persistent effects on adults and their descendants. With its short generation time, C. elegans is an ideal model for studying maternal provisioning, transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, and developmental origins of adult health and disease in humans. This review provides a comprehensive overview of starvation responses throughout the C. elegans life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Ryan Baugh
- Department of Biology, Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708 and
| | - Patrick J Hu
- Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
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38
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Maternally inherited intron coordinates primordial germ cell homeostasis during Drosophila embryogenesis. Cell Death Differ 2020; 28:1208-1221. [PMID: 33093656 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-020-00642-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) give rise to the germline stem cells (GSCs) in the adult Drosophila gonads. Both PGCs and GSCs need to be tightly regulated to safeguard the survival of the entire species. During larval development, a non-cell autonomous homeostatic mechanism is in place to maintain PGC number in the gonads. Whether such germline homeostasis occurs during early embryogenesis before PGCs reach the gonads remains unclear. We have previously shown that the maternally deposited sisRNA sisR-2 can influence GSC number in the female progeny. Here we uncover the presence of a homeostatic mechanism regulating PGCs during embryogenesis. sisR-2 represses PGC number by promoting PGC death. Surprisingly, increasing maternal sisR-2 leads to an increase in PGC death, but no drop in PGC number was observed. This is due to ectopic division of PGCs via the de-repression of Cyclin B, which is governed by a genetic pathway involving sisR-2, bantam and brat. We propose a cell autonomous model whereby germline homeostasis is achieved by preserving PGC number during embryogenesis.
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39
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Van Voorhies WA, Castillo HA, Thawng CN, Smith GB. The Phenotypic and Transcriptomic Response of the Caenorhabditis elegans Nematode to Background and Below-Background Radiation Levels. Front Public Health 2020; 8:581796. [PMID: 33178665 PMCID: PMC7596186 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.581796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of the biological effects of low-level and below-background radiation are important in understanding the potential effects of radiation exposure in humans. To study this issue we exposed the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to average background and below-background radiation levels. Two experiments were carried-out in the underground radiation biology laboratory at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico USA. The first experiment used naïve nematodes with data collected within 1 week of being placed underground. The second experiment used worms that were incubated for 8 months underground at below background radiation levels. Nematode eggs were placed in two incubators, one at low radiation (ca.15.6 nGy/hr) and one supplemented with 2 kg of natural KCl (ca. 67.4 nGy/hr). Phenotypic variables measured were: (1) egg hatching success (2) body size from larval development to adulthood, (3) developmental time from egg to egg laying adult, and (4) egg laying rate of young adult worms. Transcriptome analysis was performed on the first experiment on 72 h old adult worms. Within 72 h of being underground, there was a trend of increased egg-laying rate in the below-background radiation treatment. This trend became statistically significant in the group of worms exposed to below-background radiation for 8 months. Worms raised for 8 months in these shielded conditions also had significantly faster growth rates during larval development. Transcriptome analyses of 72-h old naïve nematode RNA showed significant differential expression of genes coding for sperm-related proteins and collagen production. In the below-background radiation group, the genes for major sperm protein (msp, 42% of total genes) and sperm-related proteins (7.5%) represented 49.5% of the total genes significantly up-regulated, while the majority of down-regulated genes were collagen (col, 37%) or cuticle-related (28%) genes. RT-qPCR analysis of target genes confirmed transcriptomic data. These results demonstrate that exposure to below-background radiation rapidly induces phenotypic and transcriptomic changes in C. elegans within 72 h of being brought underground.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wayne A. Van Voorhies
- Molecular Biology Program and Biology Department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States
| | - Hugo A. Castillo
- Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology Department, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL, United States
| | - Cung N. Thawng
- Molecular Biology Program and Biology Department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States
| | - Geoffrey B. Smith
- Molecular Biology Program and Biology Department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States
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40
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Gitschlag BL, Tate AT, Patel MR. Nutrient status shapes selfish mitochondrial genome dynamics across different levels of selection. eLife 2020; 9:56686. [PMID: 32959778 PMCID: PMC7508553 DOI: 10.7554/elife.56686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cooperation and cheating are widespread evolutionary strategies. While cheating confers an advantage to individual entities within a group, competition between groups favors cooperation. Selfish or cheater mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) proliferates within hosts while being selected against at the level of host fitness. How does environment shape cheater dynamics across different selection levels? Focusing on food availability, we address this question using heteroplasmic Caenorhabditis elegans. We find that the proliferation of selfish mtDNA within hosts depends on nutrient status stimulating mtDNA biogenesis in the developing germline. Interestingly, mtDNA biogenesis is not sufficient for this proliferation, which also requires the stress-response transcription factor FoxO/DAF-16. At the level of host fitness, FoxO/DAF-16 also prevents food scarcity from accelerating the selection against selfish mtDNA. This suggests that the ability to cope with nutrient stress can promote host tolerance of cheaters. Our study delineates environmental effects on selfish mtDNA dynamics at different levels of selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan L Gitschlag
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | - Ann T Tate
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | - Maulik R Patel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, United States.,Diabetes Research and Training Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, United States
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41
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Sae-Lee W, Scott LL, Brose L, Encarnacion AJ, Shi T, Kore P, Oyibo LO, Ye C, Rozmiarek SK, Pierce JT. APP-Induced Patterned Neurodegeneration Is Exacerbated by APOE4 in Caenorhabditis elegans. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2020; 10:2851-2861. [PMID: 32580938 PMCID: PMC7407474 DOI: 10.1534/g3.120.401486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Genetic and epidemiological studies have found that variations in the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and the apoliopoprotein E (APOE) genes represent major modifiers of the progressive neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD). An extra copy of or gain-of-function mutations in APP correlate with early onset AD. Compared to the other variants (APOE2 and APOE3), the ε4 allele of APOE (APOE4) hastens and exacerbates early and late onset forms of AD. Convenient in vivo models to study how APP and APOE4 interact at the cellular and molecular level to influence neurodegeneration are lacking. Here, we show that the nematode C. elegans can model important aspects of AD including age-related, patterned neurodegeneration that is exacerbated by APOE4 Specifically, we found that APOE4, but not APOE3, acts with APP to hasten and expand the pattern of cholinergic neurodegeneration caused by APP Molecular mechanisms underlying how APP and APOE4 synergize to kill some neurons while leaving others unaffected may be uncovered using this convenient worm model of neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wisath Sae-Lee
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Luisa L Scott
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Lotti Brose
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Aliyah J Encarnacion
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Ted Shi
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Pragati Kore
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Lashaun O Oyibo
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Congxi Ye
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Susan K Rozmiarek
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Jonathan T Pierce
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
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42
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Starich TA, Bai X, Greenstein D. Gap junctions deliver malonyl-CoA from soma to germline to support embryogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans. eLife 2020; 9:58619. [PMID: 32735213 PMCID: PMC7445009 DOI: 10.7554/elife.58619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Gap junctions are ubiquitous in metazoans and play critical roles in important biological processes, including electrical conduction and development. Yet, only a few defined molecules passing through gap junction channels have been linked to specific functions. We isolated gap junction channel mutants that reduce coupling between the soma and germ cells in the Caenorhabditis elegans gonad. We provide evidence that malonyl-CoA, the rate-limiting substrate for fatty acid synthesis (FAS), is produced in the soma and delivered through gap junctions to the germline; there it is used in fatty acid synthesis to critically support embryonic development. Separation of malonyl-CoA production from its site of utilization facilitates somatic control of germline development. Additionally, we demonstrate that loss of malonyl-CoA production in the intestine negatively impacts germline development independently of FAS. Our results suggest that metabolic outsourcing of malonyl-CoA may be a strategy by which the soma communicates nutritional status to the germline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd A Starich
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States
| | - Xiaofei Bai
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - David Greenstein
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States
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43
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Wan QL, Meng X, Fu X, Chen B, Yang J, Yang H, Zhou Q. Intermediate metabolites of the pyrimidine metabolism pathway extend the lifespan of C. elegans through regulating reproductive signals. Aging (Albany NY) 2020; 11:3993-4010. [PMID: 31232697 PMCID: PMC6629003 DOI: 10.18632/aging.102033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The pyrimidine metabolism pathway has important biological functions; it not only maintains appropriate pyrimidine pools but also produces bioactive intermediate metabolites. In a previous study, we identified that the pyrimidine metabolism pathway is associated with aging regulation. However, the molecular mechanism by which the pyrimidine metabolism pathway regulates aging remains unclear. Here, we investigated the longevity effect of pyrimidine intermediates on Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Our results demonstrated that the supplementation of some pyrimidine intermediates could extend the lifespan of C. elegans. In addition, the RNAi knockdown of essential enzymes involved in pyrimidine metabolism could also significantly affect lifespan. We further investigated the molecular mechanism by which a representative intermediate metabolite, thymine, extends the lifespan of worms and found that thymine-induced longevity required the nuclear receptors DAF-12 and NHR-49, and the transcription factor DAF-16/FOXO. Further pathway analysis revealed that the longevity effect of thymine depended on the inhibition of reproductive signals. Additionally, we found that other pyrimidine intermediates functioned in a manner similar to thymine to prolong lifespan in C. elegans. Taken together, our results revealed that pyrimidine intermediates increased lifespan by inhibiting reproductive signals and subsequently inducing the function of DAF-12, NHR-49 and DAF-16 in C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin-Li Wan
- The Center for Precision Medicine of First Affiliated Hospital, Biomedical Translational Research Institute, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Xiao Meng
- The Center for Precision Medicine of First Affiliated Hospital, Biomedical Translational Research Institute, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Xiaodie Fu
- The Center for Precision Medicine of First Affiliated Hospital, Biomedical Translational Research Institute, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Bohui Chen
- The Center for Precision Medicine of First Affiliated Hospital, Biomedical Translational Research Institute, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Jing Yang
- The Center for Precision Medicine of First Affiliated Hospital, Biomedical Translational Research Institute, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Hengwen Yang
- The Center for Precision Medicine of First Affiliated Hospital, Biomedical Translational Research Institute, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Qinghua Zhou
- The Center for Precision Medicine of First Affiliated Hospital, Biomedical Translational Research Institute, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
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44
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Upregulated TNF/Eiger signaling mediates stem cell recovery and tissue homeostasis during nutrient resupply in Drosophila testis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11674. [PMID: 32669615 PMCID: PMC7363678 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68313-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Stem cell activity and cell differentiation is robustly influenced by the nutrient availability in the gonads. The signal that connects nutrient availability to gonadal stem cell activity remains largely unknown. In this study, we show that tumor necrosis factor Eiger (Egr) is upregulated in testicular smooth muscles as a response to prolonged protein starvation in Drosophila testis. While Egr is not essential for starvation-induced changes in germline and somatic stem cell numbers, Egr and its receptor Grindelwald influence the recovery dynamics of somatic cyst stem cells (CySCs) upon protein refeeding. Moreover, Egr is also involved in the refeeding-induced, ectopic expression of the CySC self-renewal protein and the accumulation of early germ cells. Egr primarily acts through the Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling in Drosophila. We show that inhibition of JNK signaling in cyst cells suppresses the refeeding-induced abnormality in both somatic and germ cells. In conclusion, our study reveals both beneficial and detrimental effects of Egr upregulation in the recovery of stem cells and spermatogenesis from prolonged protein starvation.
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45
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Macedo F, Romanatto T, Gomes de Assis C, Buis A, Kowaltowski AJ, Aguilaniu H, Marques da Cunha F. Lifespan-extending interventions enhance lipid-supported mitochondrial respiration in Caenorhabditis elegans. FASEB J 2020; 34:9972-9981. [PMID: 32609395 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201901880r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Dietary restriction and reduced reproduction have been linked to long lifespans in the vast majority of species tested. Although decreased mitochondrial mass and/or function are hallmarks of aging, little is known about the mechanisms by which these organelles contribute to physiological aging or to the effects of lifespan-extending interventions, particularly with respect to oxidative phosphorylation and energy production. Here, we employed the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to examine the effects of inhibition of germline proliferation and dietary restriction, both of which extend the lifespan of C. elegans, on mitochondrial respiratory activity in whole animals and isolated organelles. We found that oxygen consumption rates and mitochondrial mass were reduced in wild-type (WT) C. elegans subjected to bacterial deprivation (BD) compared with animals fed ad libitum (AL). In contrast, BD decreased the rate of oxygen uptake but not mitochondrial mass in germline-less glp-1(e2144ts) mutants. Interestingly, mitochondria isolated from animals subjected to BD and/or inhibition of germline proliferation showed no differences in complex I-mediated respiratory activity compared to control mitochondria, whereas both interventions enhanced the efficiency with which mitochondria utilized lipids as respiratory substrates. Notably, the combination of BD and inhibition of germline proliferation further increased mitochondrial lipid oxidation compared to either intervention alone. We also detected a striking correlation between lifespan extension in response to BD and/or inhibition of germline proliferation and the capacity of C. elegans to generate ATP from lipids. Our results thus suggest that the ability to oxidize lipids may be determinant in enhanced longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Macedo
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Talita Romanatto
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carolina Gomes de Assis
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alexia Buis
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Alicia J Kowaltowski
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Hugo Aguilaniu
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Lyon, France.,Instituto Serrapilheira, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France
| | - Fernanda Marques da Cunha
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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46
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Tharyan RG, Annibal A, Schiffer I, Laboy R, Atanassov I, Weber AL, Gerisch B, Antebi A. NFYB-1 regulates mitochondrial function and longevity via lysosomal prosaposin. Nat Metab 2020; 2:387-396. [PMID: 32694663 DOI: 10.1038/s42255-020-0200-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Mitochondria are multidimensional organelles whose activities are essential to cellular vitality and organismal longevity, yet underlying regulatory mechanisms spanning these different levels of organization remain elusive1-5. Here we show that Caenorhabditis elegans nuclear transcription factor Y, beta subunit (NFYB-1), a subunit of the NF-Y transcriptional complex6-8, is a crucial regulator of mitochondrial function. Identified in RNA interference (RNAi) screens, NFYB-1 loss leads to perturbed mitochondrial gene expression, reduced oxygen consumption, mitochondrial fragmentation, disruption of mitochondrial stress pathways, decreased mitochondrial cardiolipin levels and abolition of organismal longevity triggered by mitochondrial impairment. Multi-omics analysis reveals that NFYB-1 is a potent repressor of lysosomal prosaposin, a regulator of glycosphingolipid metabolism. Limiting prosaposin expression unexpectedly restores cardiolipin production, mitochondrial function and longevity in the nfyb-1 background. Similarly, cardiolipin supplementation rescues nfyb-1 phenotypes. These findings suggest that the NFYB-1-prosaposin axis coordinates lysosomal to mitochondria signalling via lipid pools to enhance cellular mitochondrial function and organismal health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea Annibal
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
| | - Isabelle Schiffer
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
- CECAD, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Raymond Laboy
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
- CECAD, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ilian Atanassov
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Birgit Gerisch
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
| | - Adam Antebi
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany.
- CECAD, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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47
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Hu Z, Li H, Jiang H, Ren Y, Yu X, Qiu J, Stablewski AB, Zhang B, Buck MJ, Feng J. Transient inhibition of mTOR in human pluripotent stem cells enables robust formation of mouse-human chimeric embryos. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaaz0298. [PMID: 32426495 PMCID: PMC7220352 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz0298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
It has not been possible to generate naïve human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) that substantially contribute to mouse embryos. We found that a brief inhibition of mTOR with Torin1 converted hPSCs from primed to naïve pluripotency. The naïve hPSCs were maintained in the same condition as mouse embryonic stem cells and exhibited high clonogenicity, rapid proliferation, mitochondrial respiration, X chromosome reactivation, DNA hypomethylation, and transcriptomes sharing similarities to those of human blastocysts. When transferred to mouse blastocysts, naïve hPSCs generated 0.1 to 4% human cells, of all three germ layers, including large amounts of enucleated red blood cells, suggesting a marked acceleration of hPSC development in mouse embryos. Torin1 induced nuclear translocation of TFE3; TFE3 with mutated nuclear localization signal blocked the primed-to-naïve conversion. The generation of chimera-competent naïve hPSCs unifies some common features of naïve pluripotency in mammals and may enable applications such as human organ generation in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixing Hu
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Hanqin Li
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Houbo Jiang
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Yong Ren
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Xinyang Yu
- Department of Biochemistry, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Jingxin Qiu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Aimee B. Stablewski
- Gene Targeting and Transgenic Shared Resource, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Boyang Zhang
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Michael J. Buck
- Department of Biochemistry, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Jian Feng
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
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48
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Gerisch B, Tharyan RG, Mak J, Denzel SI, Popkes-van Oepen T, Henn N, Antebi A. HLH-30/TFEB Is a Master Regulator of Reproductive Quiescence. Dev Cell 2020; 53:316-329.e5. [PMID: 32302543 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
All animals have evolved the ability to survive nutrient deprivation, and nutrient signaling pathways are conserved modulators of health and disease. In C. elegans, late-larval starvation provokes the adult reproductive diapause (ARD), a long-lived quiescent state that enables survival for months without food, yet underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we show that ARD is distinct from other forms of diapause, showing little requirement for canonical longevity pathways, autophagy, and fat metabolism. Instead it requires the HLH-30/TFEB transcription factor to promote the morphological and physiological remodeling involved in ARD entry, survival, and recovery, suggesting that HLH-30 is a master regulator of reproductive quiescence. HLH-30 transcriptome and genetic analyses reveal that Max-like HLH factors, AMP-kinase, mTOR, protein synthesis, and mitochondrial fusion are target processes that promote ARD longevity. ARD thus rewires metabolism to ensure long-term survival and may illuminate similar mechanisms acting in stem cell quiescence and long-term fasting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Gerisch
- Department of Molecular Genetics of Ageing, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | - Rebecca George Tharyan
- Department of Molecular Genetics of Ageing, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | - Jennifer Mak
- Department of Molecular Genetics of Ageing, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | - Sarah I Denzel
- Department of Molecular Genetics of Ageing, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne 50931, Germany; Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | - Till Popkes-van Oepen
- Department of Molecular Genetics of Ageing, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne 50931, Germany; Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | - Nadine Henn
- Department of Molecular Genetics of Ageing, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | - Adam Antebi
- Department of Molecular Genetics of Ageing, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne 50931, Germany; Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases, University of Cologne, Cologne 50931, Germany.
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49
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Penkov S, Raghuraman BK, Erkut C, Oertel J, Galli R, Ackerman EJM, Vorkel D, Verbavatz JM, Koch E, Fahmy K, Shevchenko A, Kurzchalia TV. A metabolic switch regulates the transition between growth and diapause in C. elegans. BMC Biol 2020; 18:31. [PMID: 32188449 PMCID: PMC7081555 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-0760-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Metabolic activity alternates between high and low states during different stages of an organism's life cycle. During the transition from growth to quiescence, a major metabolic shift often occurs from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. We use the entry of Caenorhabditis elegans into the dauer larval stage, a developmentally arrested stage formed in response to harsh environmental conditions, as a model to study the global metabolic changes and underlying molecular mechanisms associated with growth to quiescence transition. RESULTS Here, we show that the metabolic switch involves the concerted activity of several regulatory pathways. Whereas the steroid hormone receptor DAF-12 controls dauer morphogenesis, the insulin pathway maintains low energy expenditure through DAF-16/FoxO, which also requires AAK-2/AMPKα. DAF-12 and AAK-2 separately promote a shift in the molar ratios between competing enzymes at two key branch points within the central carbon metabolic pathway diverting carbon atoms from the TCA cycle and directing them to gluconeogenesis. When both AAK-2 and DAF-12 are suppressed, the TCA cycle is active and the developmental arrest is bypassed. CONCLUSIONS The metabolic status of each developmental stage is defined by stoichiometric ratios within the constellation of metabolic enzymes driving metabolic flux and controls the transition between growth and quiescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sider Penkov
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany. .,Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden of the Helmholtz Zentrum München at the University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus of TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany. .,Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Clinic and Medical Faculty, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
| | | | - Cihan Erkut
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.,Present address: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jana Oertel
- Institute of Resource Ecology at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
| | - Roberta Galli
- Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Clinical Sensoring and Monitoring, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | | | - Daniela Vorkel
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jean-Marc Verbavatz
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.,Institut Jacques Monod, Université de Paris/CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Edmund Koch
- Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Clinical Sensoring and Monitoring, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Karim Fahmy
- Institute of Resource Ecology at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
| | - Andrej Shevchenko
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
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50
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Carranza-García E, Navarro RE. Insights Into the Hypometabolic Stage Caused by Prolonged Starvation in L4-Adult Caenorhabditis elegans Hermaphrodites. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:124. [PMID: 32211406 PMCID: PMC7057233 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals alter their reproductive cycles in response to changing nutritional conditions, to ensure that offspring production only occurs under favorable circumstances. These adaptive strategies include reversible hypometabolic states of dormancy such as “arrest” and “diapause.” The free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can arrest its life cycle during some larval stages without modifying its anatomy and physiology until conditions improve but it can also modify its morphological and physiological features to cope with harsh conditions and transition into diapause. The well-defined “dauer” diapause was described more than 40 years ago and has been the subject of comprehensive investigations. The existence of another hypometabolic state, termed adult reproductive diapause (ARD), has been debated after it was first described 10 years ago. Here, we review the current knowledge regarding the effect of food deprivation during the pre-reproductive larval and adult stages on overall organismal homeostasis, highlighting the implications on germ cell maintenance and fertility preservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Carranza-García
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Desarrollo, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Rosa E Navarro
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Desarrollo, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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