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Lin GW, Chung CY, Cook CE, Lin MD, Lee WC, Chang CC. Germline specification and axis determination in viviparous and oviparous pea aphids: conserved and divergent features. Dev Genes Evol 2022; 232:51-65. [PMID: 35678925 PMCID: PMC9329388 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-022-00690-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Aphids are hemimetabolous insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis without pupation. The annual life cycle of most aphids includes both an asexual (viviparous) and a sexual (oviparous) phase. Sexual reproduction only occurs once per year and is followed by many generations of asexual reproduction, during which aphids propagate exponentially with telescopic development. Here, we discuss the potential links between viviparous embryogenesis and derived developmental features in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum, particularly focusing on germline specification and axis determination, both of which are key events of early development in insects. We also discuss potential evolutionary paths through which both viviparous and oviparous females might have come to utilize maternal germ plasm to drive germline specification. This developmental strategy, as defined by germline markers, has not been reported in other hemimetabolous insects. In viviparous females, furthermore, we discuss whether molecules that in other insects characterize germ plasm, like Vasa, also participate in posterior determination and how the anterior localization of the hunchback orthologue Ap-hb establishes the anterior-posterior axis. We propose that the linked chain of developing oocytes and embryos within each ovariole and the special morphology of early embryos might have driven the formation of evolutionary novelties in germline specification and axis determination in the viviparous aphids. Moreover, based upon the finding that the endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola is closely associated with germ cells throughout embryogenesis, we propose presumptive roles for B. aphidicola in aphid development, discussing how it might regulate germline migration in both reproductive modes of pea aphids. In summary, we expect that this review will shed light on viviparous as well as oviparous development in aphids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gee-Way Lin
- Laboratory for Genomics and Development, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University (NTU), No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Yo Chung
- Laboratory for Genomics and Development, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University (NTU), No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
- Research Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, NTU, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Charles E Cook
- Laboratory for Genomics and Development, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University (NTU), No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Der Lin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Chih Lee
- Research Center for Global SDGs Challenges, Office of Research and Development, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Che Chang
- Laboratory for Genomics and Development, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University (NTU), No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
- Research Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, NTU, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Institute of Biotechnology, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, NTU, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, NTU, Taipei, Taiwan.
- International Graduate Program of Molecular Science and Technology, NTU, Taipei, Taiwan.
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2
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Horn T, Narov KD, Panfilio KA. Persistent Parental RNAi in the Beetle Tribolium castaneum Involves Maternal Transmission of Long Double-Stranded RNA. ADVANCED GENETICS (HOBOKEN, N.J.) 2022; 3:2100064. [PMID: 36620196 PMCID: PMC9744488 DOI: 10.1002/ggn2.202100064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Parental RNA interference (pRNAi) is a powerful and widely used method for gene-specific knockdown. Yet in insects its efficacy varies between species, and how the systemic response is transmitted from mother to offspring remains elusive. Using the beetle Tribolium castaneum, an RT-qPCR strategy to distinguish the presence of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) from endogenous mRNA is reported. It is found that injected dsRNA is directly transmitted into the egg and persists throughout embryogenesis. Despite this depletion of dsRNA from the mother, it is shown that strong pRNAi can persist for months before waning at strain-specific rates. In seeking the receptor proteins for cellular uptake of long dsRNA into the egg, a phylogenomics profiling approach of candidate proteins is also presented. A visualization strategy based on taxonomically hierarchical assessment of orthology clustering data to rapidly assess gene age and copy number changes, refined by sequence-based evidence, is demonstrated. Repeated losses of SID-1-like channel proteins in the arthropods, including wholesale loss in the Heteroptera (true bugs), which are nonetheless highly sensitive to pRNAi, are thereby documented. Overall, practical considerations for insect pRNAi against a backdrop of outstanding questions on the molecular mechanism of dsRNA transmission for long-term, systemic knockdown are elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorsten Horn
- Institute for Zoology: Developmental BiologyUniversity of CologneZülpicher Straße 47b50674CologneGermany
| | - Kalin D. Narov
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of WarwickGibbet Hill CampusCoventryCV4 7ALUK
| | - Kristen A. Panfilio
- Institute for Zoology: Developmental BiologyUniversity of CologneZülpicher Straße 47b50674CologneGermany,School of Life SciencesUniversity of WarwickGibbet Hill CampusCoventryCV4 7ALUK
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3
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Chipman AD. The evolution of the gene regulatory networks patterning the Drosophila Blastoderm. Curr Top Dev Biol 2021; 139:297-324. [PMID: 32450964 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2020.02.004] [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] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The Drosophila blastoderm gene regulatory network is one of the best studied networks in biology. It is composed of a series of tiered sub-networks that act sequentially to generate a primary segmental pattern. Many of these sub-networks have been studied in other arthropods, allowing us to reconstruct how each of them evolved over the transition from the arthropod ancestor to the situation seen in Drosophila today. I trace the evolution of each of these networks, showing how some of them have been modified significantly in Drosophila relative to the ancestral state while others are largely conserved across evolutionary timescales. I compare the putative ancestral arthropod segmentation network with that found in Drosophila and discuss how and why it has been modified throughout evolution, and to what extent this modification is unusual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel D Chipman
- The Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem, Israel.
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4
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Tidswell ORA, Benton MA, Akam M. The neuroblast timer gene nubbin exhibits functional redundancy with gap genes to regulate segment identity in Tribolium. Development 2021; 148:271199. [PMID: 34351412 PMCID: PMC8406537 DOI: 10.1242/dev.199719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
The neuroblast timer genes hunchback, Krüppel, nubbin and castor are expressed in temporal sequence in neural stem cells, and in corresponding spatial sequence along the Drosophila blastoderm. As canonical gap genes, hunchback and Krüppel play a crucial role in insect segmentation, but the roles of nubbin and castor in this process remain ambiguous. We have investigated the expression and functions of nubbin and castor during segmentation in the beetle Tribolium. We show that Tc-hunchback, Tc-Krüppel, Tc-nubbin and Tc-castor are expressed sequentially in the segment addition zone, and that Tc-nubbin regulates segment identity redundantly with two previously described gap/gap-like genes, Tc-giant and Tc-knirps. Simultaneous knockdown of Tc-nubbin, Tc-giant and Tc-knirps results in the formation of ectopic legs on abdominal segments. This homeotic transformation is caused by loss of abdominal Hox gene expression, likely due to expanded Tc-Krüppel expression. Our findings support the theory that the neuroblast timer series was co-opted for use in insect segment patterning, and contribute to our growing understanding of the evolution and function of the gap gene network outside of Drosophila. Summary:nubbin and the gap genes knirps and giant redundantly repress Krüppel expression during segmentation. Simultaneous knockdown of all three genes causes ectopic Krüppel expression and loss of abdominal segment identity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew A Benton
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Michael Akam
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
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5
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Nakao H. Early embryonic development of Bombyx. Dev Genes Evol 2021; 231:95-107. [PMID: 34296338 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-021-00679-8] [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: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Decades have passed since the early molecular embryogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster was outlined. During this period, the molecular mechanisms underlying early embryonic development in other insects, particularly the flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, have been described in more detail. The information clearly demonstrated that Drosophila embryogenesis is not representative of other insects and has highly distinctive characteristics. At the same time, this new data has been gradually clarifying ancestral operating mechanisms. The silk moth, Bombyx mori, is a lepidopteran insect and, as a representative of the order, has many unique characteristics found in early embryonic development that have not been identified in other insect groups. Herein, some of these characteristics are introduced and discussed in the context of recent information obtained from other insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hajime Nakao
- Insect Genome Research and Engineering Unit, Division of Applied Genetics, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Oowashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan.
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6
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Oppert B, Perkin LC, Lorenzen M, Dossey AT. Transcriptome analysis of life stages of the house cricket, Acheta domesticus, to improve insect crop production. Sci Rep 2020; 10:3471. [PMID: 32103047 PMCID: PMC7044300 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59087-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
To develop genetic resources for the improvement of insects as food, we sequenced transcripts from embryos, one-day hatchlings, three nymphal stages, and male and female adults of the house cricket, Acheta domesticus. A draft transcriptome was assembled from more than 138 million sequences combined from all life stages and sexes. The draft transcriptome assembly contained 45,866 contigs, and more than half were similar to sequences at NCBI (e value < e−3). The highest sequence identity was found in sequences from the termites Cryptotermes secundus and Zootermopsis nevadensis. Sequences with identity to Gregarina niphandrodes suggest that these crickets carry the parasite. Among all life stages, there were 5,042 genes with differential expression between life stages (significant at p < 0.05). An enrichment analysis of gene ontology terms from each life stage or sex highlighted genes that were important to biological processes in cricket development. We further characterized genes that may be important in future studies of genetically modified crickets for improved food production, including those involved in RNA interference, and those encoding prolixicin and hexamerins. The data represent an important first step in our efforts to provide genetically improved crickets for human consumption and livestock feed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda Oppert
- USDA ARS Center for Grain and Animal Health Research, 1515 College Ave, Manhattan, KS, 66502, USA.
| | - Lindsey C Perkin
- USDA ARS Center for Grain and Animal Health Research, 1515 College Ave, Manhattan, KS, 66502, USA
| | - Marcé Lorenzen
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Aaron T Dossey
- All Things Bugs LLC, 755 Research Parkway, Suite 465, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
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Abstract
ABSTRACT
There is now compelling evidence that many arthropods pattern their segments using a clock-and-wavefront mechanism, analogous to that operating during vertebrate somitogenesis. In this Review, we discuss how the arthropod segmentation clock generates a repeating sequence of pair-rule gene expression, and how this is converted into a segment-polarity pattern by ‘timing factor’ wavefronts associated with axial extension. We argue that the gene regulatory network that patterns segments may be relatively conserved, although the timing of segmentation varies widely, and double-segment periodicity appears to have evolved at least twice. Finally, we describe how the repeated evolution of a simultaneous (Drosophila-like) mode of segmentation within holometabolan insects can be explained by heterochronic shifts in timing factor expression plus extensive pre-patterning of the pair-rule genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Clark
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Andrew D. Peel
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Michael Akam
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
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8
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Spirov AV, Myasnikova EM. Evolutionary Stability of Gene Regulatory Networks That Define the Temporal Identity of Neuroblasts. Mol Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026893319020158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Kulkarni A, Extavour CG. The Cricket Gryllus bimaculatus: Techniques for Quantitative and Functional Genetic Analyses of Cricket Biology. Results Probl Cell Differ 2019; 68:183-216. [PMID: 31598857 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-23459-1_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
All extant species are an outcome of nature's "experiments" during evolution, and hence multiple species need to be studied and compared to gain a thorough understanding of evolutionary processes. The field of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) aspires to expand the number of species studied, because most functional genetic studies in animals have been limited to a small number of "traditional" model organisms, many of which belong to the same phylum (Chordata). The phylum Arthropoda, and particularly its component class Insecta, possesses many important characteristics that are considered favorable and attractive for evo-devo research, including an astonishing diversity of extant species and a wide disparity in body plans. The development of the most thoroughly investigated insect genetic model system to date, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (a holometabolous insect), appears highly derived with respect to other insects and indeed with respect to most arthropods. In comparison, crickets (a basally branching hemimetabolous insect lineage compared to the Holometabola) are thought to embody many developmental features that make them more representative of insects. Here we focus on crickets as emerging models to study problems in a wide range of biological areas and summarize the currently available molecular, genomic, forward and reverse genetic, imaging and computational tool kit that has been established or adapted for cricket research. With an emphasis on the cricket species Gryllus bimaculatus, we highlight recent efforts made by the scientific community in establishing this species as a laboratory model for cellular biology and developmental genetics. This broad toolkit has the potential to accelerate many traditional areas of cricket research, including studies of adaptation, evolution, neuroethology, physiology, endocrinology, regeneration, and reproductive behavior. It may also help to establish newer areas, for example, the use of crickets as animal infection model systems and human food sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpita Kulkarni
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Cassandra G Extavour
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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10
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Chung CY, Hsiao YM, Huang TY, Chang TH, Chang CC. Germline expression of the hunchback orthologues in the asexual viviparous aphids: a conserved feature within the Aphididae. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 27:752-765. [PMID: 29892979 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In animals, differentiation of germline from soma usually takes place during embryogenesis. Genes and their products that are preferentially expressed in the embryonic germ cells are regarded as candidates for maintaining germline fate or promoting germline identity. In Drosophila, for example, the protein encoded by the germline gene vasa is specifically restricted to the germ cells, while products of the gap gene hunchback (hb), a somatic gene, are preferentially expressed in the neuroblasts. In this study, we report the expression of both messenger RNA and protein encoded by Aphb, an hb orthologue in the asexual viviparous pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum, in germ cells as well as in neuroblasts. We infer that expression of Aphb messenger RNA in the germ cells during the formation of germaria is required for the anterior localization of Aphb in the protruding oocytes. Germarial expression and anterior localization of ApKrüppel was also identified but, unlike Aphb, its expression was not detected in the migrating germ cells. Very similar patterns of hb expression were also identified in the green peach aphid Myzus persicae, suggesting that germline expression of hb is conserved within the Aphididae. To date, this pattern of hb germline expression has not been reported in other insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- C-Y Chung
- Laboratory for Genetics and Development, Department of Entomology, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Research Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Y-M Hsiao
- Laboratory for Genetics and Development, Department of Entomology, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Research Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biotechnology, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - T-Y Huang
- Laboratory for Genetics and Development, Department of Entomology, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - T-H Chang
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - C-C Chang
- Laboratory for Genetics and Development, Department of Entomology, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Research Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biotechnology, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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11
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Shimizu Y, Tamai T, Goto SG. Cell cycle regulator, small silencing RNA, and segmentation patterning gene expression in relation to embryonic diapause in the band-legged ground cricket. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 102:75-83. [PMID: 30287269 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2018.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Insects enter diapause to synchronize their life cycle with biotic and abiotic conditions favorable for their development, reproduction, and survival. Adult females of the band-legged ground cricket Dianemobius nigrofasciatus (Orthoptera, Glyllidae) respond to environmental factors in autumn and lay diapause-destined eggs. The eggs arrest their development and enter diapause at a very early embryonic stage, specifically the cellular blastoderm. To elucidate the physiological mechanisms underlying this very early stage programmed developmental arrest, we investigated the cell division cycle as well as the expression of cell cycle regulators, small silencing RNAs, and segment patterning genes. The diapause embryo arrests its cell cycle predominantly at the G0/G1 phase. The proportion of cells in the S phase of the cell cycle abruptly decreased at the time of developmental arrest, but further changes of the G0/G1 and G2/M were later observed. Thus, cell cycle arrest in the diapause embryo is not an immediate event, but it takes longer to reach the steady state. We further elucidated molecular events possibly involved in diapause preparation and entry. Downregulation of Proliferating cellular antigen (PCNA; a cell cycle regulator), caudal and pumilio (cad and pum; early segmentation genes) as well as P-element induced wimpy testis (piwi) (a small silencing RNA) prior to the onset of developmental arrest was notable. The downregulation of PCNA, cad and pum continued even after entry into developmental arrest. In contrast to upregulation in non-diapause eggs, Cyclin D (another cell cycle regulator) and hunchback, Krüppel, and runt (gap and pair-rule genes) were downregulated in diapause eggs. These molecular events may contribute to embryonic diapause of D. nigrofasciatus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Shimizu
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan
| | - Takaaki Tamai
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan
| | - Shin G Goto
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan.
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12
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Xiang J, Reding K, Heffer A, Pick L. Conservation and variation in pair-rule gene expression and function in the intermediate-germ beetle Dermestes maculatus. Development 2017; 144:4625-4636. [PMID: 29084804 DOI: 10.1242/dev.154039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2017] [Accepted: 10/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
A set of pair-rule (PR) segmentation genes (PRGs) promotes the formation of alternate body segments in Drosophila melanogaster Whereas Drosophila embryos are long-germ, with segments specified more or less simultaneously, most insects add segments sequentially as the germband elongates. The hide beetle Dermestes maculatus represents an intermediate between short- and long-germ development, ideal for comparative study of PRGs. We show that eight of nine Drosophila PRG orthologs are expressed in stripes in Dermestes Functional results parse these genes into three groups: Dmac-eve, -odd and -run play roles in both germband elongation and PR patterning; Dmac-slp and -prd function exclusively as complementary, classic PRGs, supporting functional decoupling of elongation and segment formation; and orthologs of ftz, ftz-f1, h and opa show more variable function in Dermestes and other species. While extensive cell death generally prefigured Dermestes PRG RNAi-mediated cuticle defects, an organized region with high mitotic activity near the margin of the segment addition zone is likely to have contributed to truncation of eveRNAi embryos. Our results suggest general conservation of clock-like regulation of PR stripe addition in sequentially segmenting species while highlighting regulatory rewiring involving a subset of PRG orthologs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Xiang
- Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Katie Reding
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Alison Heffer
- Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Leslie Pick
- Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA .,Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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13
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Simon S, Sagasser S, Saccenti E, Brugler MR, Schranz ME, Hadrys H, Amato G, DeSalle R. Comparative transcriptomics reveal developmental turning points during embryogenesis of a hemimetabolous insect, the damselfly Ischnura elegans. Sci Rep 2017; 7:13547. [PMID: 29051502 PMCID: PMC5648782 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-13176-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying transcriptional changes during embryogenesis is of crucial importance for unravelling evolutionary, molecular and cellular mechanisms that underpin patterning and morphogenesis. However, comparative studies focusing on early/embryonic stages during insect development are limited to a few taxa. Drosophila melanogaster is the paradigm for insect development, whereas comparative transcriptomic studies of embryonic stages of hemimetabolous insects are completely lacking. We reconstructed the first comparative transcriptome covering the daily embryonic developmental progression of the blue-tailed damselfly Ischnura elegans (Odonata), an ancient hemimetabolous representative. We identified a "core" set of 6,794 transcripts - shared by all embryonic stages - which are mainly involved in anatomical structure development and cellular nitrogen compound metabolic processes. We further used weighted gene co-expression network analysis to identify transcriptional changes during Odonata embryogenesis. Based on these analyses distinct clusters of transcriptional active sequences could be revealed, indicating that embryos at different development stages have their own transcriptomic profile according to the developmental events and leading to sequential reprogramming of metabolic and developmental genes. Interestingly, a major change in transcriptionally active sequences is correlated with katatrepsis (revolution) during mid-embryogenesis, a 180° rotation of the embryo within the egg and specific to hemimetabolous insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Simon
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th St., New York, NY, 10024, USA.
| | - Sven Sagasser
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Karolinska Institutet, 17177, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Edoardo Saccenti
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University & Research, Stippeng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Mercer R Brugler
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th St., New York, NY, 10024, USA
- Biological Sciences Department, NYC College of Technology, City University of New York, 300 Jay Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11201, USA
| | - M Eric Schranz
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Heike Hadrys
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th St., New York, NY, 10024, USA
- ITZ, Ecology&Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover, Buenteweg 17d, D-30559, Hannover, Germany
- Yale University, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 165 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - George Amato
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th St., New York, NY, 10024, USA
| | - Rob DeSalle
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West and 79th St., New York, NY, 10024, USA
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14
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Xiang J, Reding K, Pick L. Rearing and Double-stranded RNA-mediated Gene Knockdown in the Hide Beetle, Dermestes maculatus. J Vis Exp 2016. [PMID: 28060304 DOI: 10.3791/54976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in genomics have raised the possibility of probing biodiversity at an unprecedented scale. However, sequence alone will not be informative without tools to study gene function. The development and sharing of detailed protocols for the establishment of new model systems in laboratories, and for tools to carry out functional studies, is thus crucial for leveraging the power of genomics. Coleoptera (beetles) are the largest clade of insects and occupy virtually all types of habitats on the planet. In addition to providing ideal models for fundamental research, studies of beetles can have impacts on pest control as they are often pests of households, agriculture, and food industries. Detailed protocols for rearing and maintenance of D. maculatus laboratory colonies and for carrying out dsRNA-mediated interference in D. maculatus are presented. Both embryonic and parental RNAi procedures-including apparatus set up, preparation, injection, and post-injection recovery-are described. Methods are also presented for analyzing embryonic phenotypes, including viability, patterning defects in hatched larvae, and cuticle preparations for unhatched larvae. These assays, together with in situ hybridization and immunostaining for molecular markers, make D. maculatus an accessible model system for basic and applied research. They further provide useful information for establishing procedures in other emerging insect model systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Xiang
- Entomology Department, University of Maryland; Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Maryland
| | | | - Leslie Pick
- Entomology Department, University of Maryland; Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Maryland;
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Nakao H. Hunchback knockdown induces supernumerary segment formation in Bombyx. Dev Biol 2016; 413:207-16. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2016.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2016] [Revised: 03/17/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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16
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Berdan EL, Blankers T, Waurick I, Mazzoni CJ, Mayer F. A genes eye view of ontogeny: de novo assembly and profiling of the Gryllus rubens transcriptome. Mol Ecol Resour 2016; 16:1478-1490. [PMID: 27037604 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.12530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2015] [Revised: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 03/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Crickets (Orthoptera:Gryllidae) are widely used model organisms for developmental, evolutionary, neurobiological and behavioural research. Here, we developed a de novo transcriptome from pooled RNA-seq Illumina data spanning seven stages in the life cycle of Gryllus rubens. Approximately 705 Mbp of data was assembled and filtered to form 27 312 transcripts. We were able to annotate 52% of our transcripts using BLAST and assign at least one gene ontology term to 41%. Pooled samples from three different ontogenetic stages were used for transcriptomic profiling revealing patterns of differential gene expression that highlight processes in the different life stages. Embryonic and early instar development was enriched for ecdysteroid metabolism, cytochrome P450s and glutathione production. Late instar development was enriched for regulation of gene expression and many of the genes highly expressed during this stage were involved in conserved developmental signalling pathways suggesting that these developmental pathways are active beyond embryonic development. Adults were enriched for fat transport (mostly relating to egg production) and production of octopamine, an important neurohormone. We also identified genes involved in conserved developmental pathways (Hedgehog, Hippo, Wnt, JAK/STAT, TGF-beta, Notch, and MEK/ERK). This is the first transcriptome spanning ontogeny in Gryllus rubens and a valuable resource for future work on development and evolution in Orthoptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L Berdan
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Thomas Blankers
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany.,Behavioural Physiology, Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabelle Waurick
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Camila J Mazzoni
- Berlin Center for Genomics in Biodiversity Research, Koenigin-Luise-Str 6-8, 14195, Berlin, Germany.,Leibniz-Institut für Zoo- und Wildtierforschung (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315, Berlin, Germany
| | - Frieder Mayer
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Altensteinstraße 6, 14195, Berlin, Germany
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Watanabe T, Noji S, Mito T. GeneKnockout by Targeted Mutagenesis in a Hemimetabolous Insect, the Two-Spotted Cricket Gryllus bimaculatus, using TALENs. Methods Mol Biol 2016; 1338:143-155. [PMID: 26443220 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-2932-0_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Hemimetabolous, or incompletely metamorphosing, insects are phylogenetically basal. These insects include many deleterious species. The cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus, is an emerging model for hemimetabolous insects, based on the success of RNA interference (RNAi)-based gene-functional analyses and transgenic technology. Taking advantage of genome-editing technologies in this species would greatly promote functional genomics studies. Genome editing using transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) has proven to be an effective method for site-specific genome manipulation in various species. TALENs are artificial nucleases that are capable of inducing DNA double-strand breaks into specified target sequences. Here, we describe a protocol for TALEN-based gene knockout in G. bimaculatus, including a mutant selection scheme via mutation detection assays, for generating homozygous knockout organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahito Watanabe
- Department of Life Systems, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima, 2-1 Minami-Jyosanjima-cho, Tokushima, 770-0815, Japan
- Center for Collaboration among Agriculture, Industry and Commerce, The University of Tokushima, 2-1 Minami-Jyosanjima-cho, Tokushima, 770-0815, Japan
| | - Sumihare Noji
- Center for Collaboration among Agriculture, Industry and Commerce, The University of Tokushima, 2-1 Minami-Jyosanjima-cho, Tokushima, 770-0815, Japan
| | - Taro Mito
- Department of Life Systems, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima, 2-1 Minami-Jyosanjima-cho, Tokushima, 770-0815, Japan.
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18
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Xiang J, Forrest IS, Pick L. Dermestes maculatus: an intermediate-germ beetle model system for evo-devo. EvoDevo 2015; 6:32. [PMID: 26478804 PMCID: PMC4609124 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-015-0028-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Accepted: 10/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding how genes change during evolution to direct the development of diverse body plans is a major goal of the evo-devo field. Achieving this will require the establishment of new model systems that represent key points in phylogeny. These new model systems must be amenable to laboratory culture, and molecular and functional approaches should be feasible. To date, studies of insects have been best represented by the model system Drosophila melanogaster. Given the enormous diversity represented by insect taxa, comparative studies within this clade will provide a wealth of information about the evolutionary potential and trajectories of alternative developmental strategies. RESULTS Here we established the beetle Dermestes maculatus, a member of the speciose clade Coleoptera, as a new insect model system. We have maintained a continuously breeding culture in the lab and documented Dermestes maculatus embryogenesis using nuclear and phalloidin staining. Anterior segments are specified during the blastoderm stage before gastrulation, and posterior segments are added sequentially during germ band elongation. We isolated and studied the expression and function of the pair-rule segmentation gene paired in Dermestes maculatus. In this species, paired is expressed in stripes during both blastoderm and germ band stages: four primary stripes arise prior to gastrulation, confirming an intermediate-germ mode of development for this species. As in other insects, these primary stripes then split into secondary stripes. To study gene function, we established both embryonic and parental RNAi. Knockdown of Dmac-paired with either method resulted in pair-rule-like segmentation defects, including loss of Engrailed expression in alternate stripes. CONCLUSIONS These studies establish basic approaches necessary to use Dermestes maculatus as a model system. Methods are now available for use of this intermediate-germ insect for future studies of the evolution of regulatory networks controlling insect segmentation, as well as of other processes in development and homeostasis. Consistent with the role of paired in long-germ Drosophila and shorter-germ Tribolium, paired functions as a pair-rule segmentation gene in Dermestes maculatus. Thus, paired retains pair-rule function in insects with different modes of segment addition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Xiang
- />Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, 4112 Plant Sciences Building, College Park, MD 20742 USA
- />Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Maryland, 4112 Plant Sciences Building, College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - Iain S. Forrest
- />Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, 4112 Plant Sciences Building, College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - Leslie Pick
- />Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, 4112 Plant Sciences Building, College Park, MD 20742 USA
- />Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Maryland, 4112 Plant Sciences Building, College Park, MD 20742 USA
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19
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Expression study of the hunchback ortholog in embryos of the onychophoran Euperipatoides rowelli. Dev Genes Evol 2015; 225:207-19. [DOI: 10.1007/s00427-015-0505-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2015] [Accepted: 06/02/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Matsuoka Y, Bando T, Watanabe T, Ishimaru Y, Noji S, Popadić A, Mito T. Short germ insects utilize both the ancestral and derived mode of Polycomb group-mediated epigenetic silencing of Hox genes. Biol Open 2015; 4:702-9. [PMID: 25948756 PMCID: PMC4467190 DOI: 10.1242/bio.201411064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In insect species that undergo long germ segmentation, such as Drosophila, all segments are specified simultaneously at the early blastoderm stage. As embryogenesis progresses, the expression boundaries of Hox genes are established by repression of gap genes, which is subsequently replaced by Polycomb group (PcG) silencing. At present, however, it is not known whether patterning occurs this way in a more ancestral (short germ) mode of embryogenesis, where segments are added gradually during posterior elongation. In this study, two members of the PcG family, Enhancer of zeste (E(z)) and Suppressor of zeste 12 (Su(z)12), were analyzed in the short germ cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. Results suggest that although stepwise negative regulation by gap and PcG genes is present in anterior members of the Hox cluster, it does not account for regulation of two posterior Hox genes, abdominal-A (abd-A) and Abdominal-B (Abd-B). Instead, abd-A and Abd-B are predominantly regulated by PcG genes, which is the mode present in vertebrates. These findings suggest that an intriguing transition of the PcG-mediated silencing of Hox genes may have occurred during animal evolution. The ancestral bilaterian state may have resembled the current vertebrate mode of regulation, where PcG-mediated silencing of Hox genes occurs before their expression is initiated and is responsible for the establishment of individual expression domains. Then, during insect evolution, the repression by transcription factors may have been acquired in anterior Hox genes of short germ insects, while PcG silencing was maintained in posterior Hox genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuji Matsuoka
- Department of Life Systems, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, 2-1 Minami-Jyosanjima-cho, Tokushima City, Tokushima 770-8506, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Bando
- Department of Life Systems, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, 2-1 Minami-Jyosanjima-cho, Tokushima City, Tokushima 770-8506, Japan Present address: Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama city, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan
| | - Takahito Watanabe
- Center for Collaboration among Agriculture, Industry and Commerce, The University of Tokushima, 2-24 Shinkura-cho, Tokushima City, Tokushima 770-8501, Japan
| | - Yoshiyasu Ishimaru
- Department of Life Systems, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, 2-1 Minami-Jyosanjima-cho, Tokushima City, Tokushima 770-8506, Japan
| | - Sumihare Noji
- Center for Collaboration among Agriculture, Industry and Commerce, The University of Tokushima, 2-24 Shinkura-cho, Tokushima City, Tokushima 770-8501, Japan
| | - Aleksandar Popadić
- Biological Sciences Department, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| | - Taro Mito
- Department of Life Systems, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, 2-1 Minami-Jyosanjima-cho, Tokushima City, Tokushima 770-8506, Japan
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Donoughe S, Extavour CG. Embryonic development of the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. Dev Biol 2015; 411:140-56. [PMID: 25907229 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2015.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2014] [Revised: 04/10/2015] [Accepted: 04/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Extensive research into Drosophila melanogaster embryogenesis has improved our understanding of insect developmental mechanisms. However, Drosophila development is thought to be highly divergent from that of the ancestral insect and arthropod in many respects. We therefore need alternative models for arthopod development that are likely to be more representative of basally-branching clades. The cricket Gryllus bimaculatus is such a model, and currently has the most sophisticated functional genetic toolkit of any hemimetabolous insect. The existing cricket embryonic staging system is fragmentary, and it is based on morphological landmarks that are not easily visible on a live, undissected egg. To address this problem, here we present a complementary set of "egg stages" that serve as a guide for identifying the developmental progress of a cricket embryo from fertilization to hatching, based solely on the external appearance of the egg. These stages were characterized using a combination of brightfield timelapse microscopy, timed brightfield micrographs, confocal microscopy, and measurements of egg dimensions. These egg stages are particularly useful in experiments that involve egg injection (including RNA interference, targeted genome modification, and transgenesis), as injection can alter the speed of development, even in control treatments. We also use 3D reconstructions of fixed embryo preparations to provide a comprehensive description of the morphogenesis and anatomy of the cricket embryo during embryonic rudiment assembly, germ band formation, elongation, segmentation, and appendage formation. Finally, we aggregate and schematize a variety of published developmental gene expression patterns. This work will facilitate further studies on G. bimaculatus development, and serve as a useful point of reference for other studies of wild type and experimentally manipulated insect development in fields from evo-devo to disease vector and pest management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth Donoughe
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States
| | - Cassandra G Extavour
- Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States; Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States.
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22
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Wotton KR, Jiménez-Guri E, Jaeger J. Maternal co-ordinate gene regulation and axis polarity in the scuttle fly Megaselia abdita. PLoS Genet 2015; 11:e1005042. [PMID: 25757102 PMCID: PMC4355411 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2014] [Accepted: 01/30/2015] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Axis specification and segment determination in dipteran insects are an excellent model system for comparative analyses of gene network evolution. Antero-posterior polarity of the embryo is established through systems of maternal morphogen gradients. In Drosophila melanogaster, the anterior system acts through opposing gradients of Bicoid (Bcd) and Caudal (Cad), while the posterior system involves Nanos (Nos) and Hunchback (Hb) protein. These systems act redundantly. Both Bcd and Hb need to be eliminated to cause a complete loss of polarity resulting in mirror-duplicated abdomens, so-called bicaudal phenotypes. In contrast, knock-down of bcd alone is sufficient to induce double abdomens in non-drosophilid cyclorrhaphan dipterans such as the hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus or the scuttle fly Megaselia abdita. We investigate conserved and divergent aspects of axis specification in the cyclorrhaphan lineage through a detailed study of the establishment and regulatory effect of maternal gradients in M. abdita. Our results show that the function of the anterior maternal system is highly conserved in this species, despite the loss of maternal cad expression. In contrast, hb does not activate gap genes in this species. The absence of this activatory role provides a precise genetic explanation for the loss of polarity upon bcd knock-down in M. abdita, and suggests a general scenario in which the posterior maternal system is increasingly replaced by the anterior one during the evolution of the cyclorrhaphan dipteran lineage. The basic head-to-tail polarity of an animal is established very early in development. In dipteran insects (flies, midges, and mosquitoes), polarity is established with the help of so-called morphogen gradients. Morphogens are regulatory proteins that are distributed as a concentration gradient, often involving diffusion from a localised source. This graded distribution then leads to the concentration-dependent activation of different target genes along the embryo’s axis. We examine this process, which differs to a surprising extent between dipteran species, in the scuttle fly Megaselia abdita, and compare our results to the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. In this way, we not only gain insights into how the mechanisms that establish polarity function differently in different species, but also how the system has evolved since these two flies shared a common ancestor. Specifically, we pin down the main difference between Drosophila and Megaselia in the altered function of the maternal Hunchback morphogen gradient, which activates target genes in the former, but not the latter species, where it has been completely replaced by the Bicoid morphogen during evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl R. Wotton
- EMBL/CRG Research Unit in Systems Biology, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail: (KW); (JJ)
| | - Eva Jiménez-Guri
- EMBL/CRG Research Unit in Systems Biology, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Johannes Jaeger
- EMBL/CRG Research Unit in Systems Biology, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail: (KW); (JJ)
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Gene knockout by targeted mutagenesis in a hemimetabolous insect, the two-spotted cricket Gryllus bimaculatus, using TALENs. Methods 2014; 69:17-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2014.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2014] [Revised: 05/12/2014] [Accepted: 05/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Sucena É, Vanderberghe K, Zhurov V, Grbić M. Reversion of developmental mode in insects: evolution from long germband to short germband in the polyembrionic wasp Macrocentrus cingulum Brischke. Evol Dev 2014; 16:233-46. [PMID: 24981069 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Germband size in insects has played a central role in our understanding of insect patterning mechanisms and their evolution. The polarity of evolutionary change in insect patterning has been viewed so far as the unidirectional shift from the ancestral short germband patterning of basal hemimetabolous insects to the long germband patterning observed in most modern Holometabola. However, some orders of holometabolic insects display both short and long germband development, though the absence of a clear phylogenetic context does not permit definite conclusions on the polarity of change. Derived hymenoptera, that is, bees and wasps, represent a classical textbook example of long germband development. Yet, in some wasps putative short germband development has been described correlating with lifestyle changes, namely with evolution of endoparasitism and polyembryony. To address the potential reversion from long to short germband, we focused on the family Braconidae, which displays ancestral long germband development, and examined the derived polyembryonic braconid Macrocentrus cingulum. Using SEM analysis of M. cingulum embryogenesis coupled with analyses of embryonic patterning markers, we show that this wasp evolved short germband embryogenesis secondarily, in a way that is reminiscent of embryogenesis in the beetle Tribolium castaneum. This work shows that the evolution of germband size in insects is a reversible process that may correlate with other life-history traits and suggests broader implications on the mechanisms and evolvability of insect development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Élio Sucena
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Apartado 14, 2781-901, Oeiras, Portugal; Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, Departamento de Biologia Animal, edifício C2, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal
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Wu K, Hoy MA. Oral delivery of double-stranded RNA induces prolonged and systemic gene knockdown in Metaseiulus occidentalis only after feeding on Tetranychus urticae. EXPERIMENTAL & APPLIED ACAROLOGY 2014; 63:171-87. [PMID: 24509787 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-014-9772-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2013] [Accepted: 01/26/2014] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Metaseiulus (=Typhlodromus or Galendromus) occidentalis is an important biological control agent. Functional genomic studies on this predator have been hampered by the lack of reverse genetic tools such as RNA interference (RNAi). In the current study, we evaluated possible RNAi responses in M. occidentalis females by feeding double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) of RpL11, RpS2, RpL8, or Pros26.4 genes in 20 % sucrose solution. Females needed to subsequently feed on two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) to elicit a nearly complete loss of egg production. The corresponding gene knockdown was robust, long-term, and was observed in the very few eggs produced (systemic or parental RNAi). Interestingly, dsRNA-mediated gene knockdown could not be induced if these predators were provided only the sucrose diet after ingesting dsRNAs; T. urticae had to be provided to elicit the RNAi response. However, the spider mite diet was not needed for sustaining the dsRNA-mediated gene knockdown once it commenced. Oral delivery of dsRNA will be a valuable tool for efficient genome-wide functional screens in this important predatory mite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Wu
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, PO Box 11620, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA,
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26
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Mao J, Liu C, Zeng F. Hunchback is required for abdominal identity suppression and germband growth in the parthenogenetic embryogenesis of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. ARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2013; 84:209-221. [PMID: 24222010 DOI: 10.1002/arch.21137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Aphid, a short germband insect, displays an embryogenesis different from that of long germband insect species. Furthermore, the development of its parthenogenetic and viviparous embryo is different from that of the embryo resulting from sexual reproduction. To better understand the genetic regulation of this type of embryogenesis, the functions of hunchback in asexual Acyrthosiphon pisum were investigated by parental RNAi. Microinjection of Aphb double-stranded RNA yielded several defective phenotypes. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that these defects resulted from reduction of Aphb mRNA level in injected aphids. All these results suggested that the hb gene in parthenogenetic and viviparous Acyrthosiphon pisum was involved in abdominal identity suppression and germband growth as its homologue does in sexual insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianjun Mao
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
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Posterior elongation in the annelid Platynereis dumerilii involves stem cells molecularly related to primordial germ cells. Dev Biol 2013; 382:246-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2013.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2012] [Revised: 06/28/2013] [Accepted: 07/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Duncan EJ, Leask MP, Dearden PK. The pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) genome encodes two divergent early developmental programs. Dev Biol 2013; 377:262-74. [PMID: 23416037 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2013.01.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2012] [Revised: 01/18/2013] [Accepted: 01/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) can reproduce either sexually or asexually (parthenogenetically), giving rise, in each case, to almost identical adults. These two modes of reproduction are accompanied by differences in ovarian morphology and the developmental environment of the offspring, with sexual forms producing eggs that are laid, whereas asexual development occurs within the mother. Here we examine the effect each mode of reproduction has on the expression of key maternal and axis patterning genes; orthodenticle (otd), hunchback (hb), caudal (cad) and nanos (nos). We show that three of these genes (Ap-hb, Ap-otd and Ap-cad) are expressed differently between the sexually and asexually produced oocytes and embryos of the pea aphid. We also show, using immunohistochemistry and cytoskeletal inhibitors, that Ap-hb RNA is localized differently between sexually and asexually produced oocytes, and that this is likely due to differences in the 3' untranslated regions of the RNA. Furthermore, Ap-hb and Ap-otd have extensive expression domains in early sexually produced embryos, but are not expressed at equivalent stages in asexually produced embryos. These differences in expression likely correspond with substantial changes in the gene regulatory networks controlling early development in the pea aphid. These data imply that in the evolution of parthenogenesis a new program has evolved to control the development of asexually produced embryos, whilst retaining the existing, sexual, developmental program. The patterns of modification of these developmental processes mirror the changes that we see in developmental processes between species, in that early acting pathways in development are less constrained, and evolve faster, than later ones. We suggest that the evolution of the novel asexual development pathway in aphids is not a simple modification of an ancestral system, but the evolution of two very different developmental mechanisms occurring within a single species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J Duncan
- Laboratory for Evolution and Development, Genetics Otago & Gravida, National Centre for Growth and Development, Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, 56, Dunedin 9054, Aotearoa, New Zealand.
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Feeding-based RNA interference of a gap gene is lethal to the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. PLoS One 2012; 7:e48718. [PMID: 23144942 PMCID: PMC3492414 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2012] [Accepted: 09/28/2012] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The gap gene hunchback (hb) is a key regulator in the anteroposterior patterning of insects. Loss-of-function of hb resulted in segmentation defects in the next generation. In this paper, hb expression level was investigated at different developmental stages of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Ap). Aphb mRNA was most early detected at the first instar stage and showed an incontinuous increase in the whole life cycle. Ingested RNA interference was performed at the second instar stage to knockdown the Aphb expression. Continuous feeding of Aphb double-stranded RNA mixed in artificial diet led to reduction of Aphb transcripts and rise of insect lethality. These results indicated that hunchback was a good RNAi target in the management of insect pests.
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Schmitt-Engel C, Cerny AC, Schoppmeier M. A dual role for nanos and pumilio in anterior and posterior blastodermal patterning of the short-germ beetle Tribolium castaneum. Dev Biol 2012; 364:224-35. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2012.01.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2010] [Revised: 01/09/2012] [Accepted: 01/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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31
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Andrioli LP. Toward new Drosophila paradigms. Genesis 2012; 50:585-98. [DOI: 10.1002/dvg.22019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2011] [Revised: 02/07/2012] [Accepted: 02/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Janssen R, Budd GE, Damen WG. Gene expression suggests conserved mechanisms patterning the heads of insects and myriapods. Dev Biol 2011; 357:64-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2011.05.670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2011] [Revised: 05/20/2011] [Accepted: 05/25/2011] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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Mito T, Shinmyo Y, Kurita K, Nakamura T, Ohuchi H, Noji S. Ancestral functions of Delta/Notch signaling in the formation of body and leg segments in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. Development 2011; 138:3823-33. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.060681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Delta/Notch signaling controls a wide spectrum of developmental processes, including body and leg segmentation in arthropods. The various functions of Delta/Notch signaling vary among species. For instance, in Cupiennius spiders, Delta/Notch signaling is essential for body and leg segmentation, whereas in Drosophila fruit flies it is involved in leg segmentation but not body segmentation. Therefore, to gain further insight into the functional evolution of Delta/Notch signaling in arthropod body and leg segmentation, we analyzed the function of the Delta (Gb′Delta) and Notch (Gb′Notch) genes in the hemimetabolous, intermediate-germ cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. We found that Gb′Delta and Gb′Notch were expressed in developing legs, and that RNAi silencing of Gb′Notch resulted in a marked reduction in leg length with a loss of joints. Our results suggest that the role of Notch signaling in leg segmentation is conserved in hemimetabolous insects. Furthermore, we found that Gb′Delta was expressed transiently in the posterior growth zone of the germband and in segmental stripes earlier than the appearance of wingless segmental stripes, whereas Gb′Notch was uniformly expressed in early germbands. RNAi knockdown of Gb′Delta or Gb′Notch expression resulted in malformation in body segments and a loss of posterior segments, the latter probably due to a defect in posterior growth. Therefore, in the cricket, Delta/Notch signaling might be required for proper morphogenesis of body segments and posterior elongation, but not for specification of segment boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taro Mito
- Department of Life Systems, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima, 2-1 Minami-Jyosanjima-cho, Tokushima City, 770-8506 Japan
| | - Yohei Shinmyo
- Department of Life Systems, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima, 2-1 Minami-Jyosanjima-cho, Tokushima City, 770-8506 Japan
| | - Kazuki Kurita
- Department of Life Systems, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima, 2-1 Minami-Jyosanjima-cho, Tokushima City, 770-8506 Japan
| | - Taro Nakamura
- Department of Life Systems, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima, 2-1 Minami-Jyosanjima-cho, Tokushima City, 770-8506 Japan
| | - Hideyo Ohuchi
- Department of Life Systems, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima, 2-1 Minami-Jyosanjima-cho, Tokushima City, 770-8506 Japan
| | - Sumihare Noji
- Department of Life Systems, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima, 2-1 Minami-Jyosanjima-cho, Tokushima City, 770-8506 Japan
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Wilson MJ, Dearden PK. Diversity in insect axis formation: two orthodenticle genes and hunchback act in anterior patterning and influence dorsoventral organization in the honeybee (Apis mellifera). Development 2011; 138:3497-507. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.067926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Axis formation is a key step in development, but studies indicate that genes involved in insect axis formation are relatively fast evolving. Orthodenticle genes have conserved roles, often with hunchback, in maternal anterior patterning in several insect species. We show that two orthodenticle genes, otd1 and otd2, and hunchback act as maternal anterior patterning genes in the honeybee (Apis mellifera) but, unlike other insects, act to pattern the majority of the anteroposterior axis. These genes regulate the expression domains of anterior, central and posterior gap genes and may directly regulate the anterior gap gene giant. We show otd1 and hunchback also influence dorsoventral patterning by regulating zerknült (zen) as they do in Tribolium, but that zen does not regulate the expression of honeybee gap genes. This suggests that interactions between anteroposterior and dorsal-ventral patterning are ancestral in holometabolous insects. Honeybee axis formation, and the function of the conserved anterior patterning gene orthodenticle, displays unique characters that indicate that, even when conserved genes pattern the axis, their regulatory interactions differ within orders of insects, consistent with relatively fast evolution in axis formation pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan J. Wilson
- Laboratory for Evolution and Development, National Research Centre for Growth and Development and Genetics Otago, Biochemistry Department, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Peter K. Dearden
- Laboratory for Evolution and Development, National Research Centre for Growth and Development and Genetics Otago, Biochemistry Department, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
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He Z, Cao Y, Chen B, Li T. Expression of hunchback during oogenesis and embryogenesis in Locusta migratoria manilensis (Meyen). SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2011; 54:146-151. [PMID: 21318484 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-010-4128-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2010] [Accepted: 01/11/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
hb (hunchback) is a contributing factor in anteroposterior axial patterning of insects. Although the hb function in Locusta migratoria manilensis has been investigated, its expression pattern remains unknown. Here, the mouse polyclonal antibody was produced against Hb fusion protein, and then its expression pattern during oogenesis and embryogenesis of L. migratoria manilensis was examined by immunohistochemical staining. Hb protein was detected in the oocyte nucleus which was positioned centrally within the developing oocyte. The oocyte nucleus gradually moved to the posterior end of the egg along with the oocyte maturing. In freshly laid eggs, Hb formed gradient at the posterior end of the egg, and then hb was expressed as a band in the middle of the blastodisc. As the blastodisc differentiated into the head and trunk, the expression region became wide, which would develop into spatial gnathal and thoracic segments. With abdominal segmentation, the expression domain in the gnathal and thoracic region became faint and eventually faded out, while the Hb expression domain appeared at the posterior growth zone in a discontinuous expression manner. The hb expression pattern of L. migratoria manilensis is greatly similar to that of other locusts, such as Schistocerca americana and another L. migratoria. Compared with other insects, hb expression is conserved in the gnathal and thoracic domains, while divergent in oogenesis and abdomen.
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Affiliation(s)
- ZhengBo He
- Institute of Insect & Molecular Biology, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 400047, China.
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Abstract
Gap genes are involved in segment determination during the early development of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as well as in other insects. This review attempts to synthesize the current knowledge of the gap gene network through a comprehensive survey of the experimental literature. I focus on genetic and molecular evidence, which provides us with an almost-complete picture of the regulatory interactions responsible for trunk gap gene expression. I discuss the regulatory mechanisms involved, and highlight the remaining ambiguities and gaps in the evidence. This is followed by a brief discussion of molecular regulatory mechanisms for transcriptional regulation, as well as precision and size-regulation provided by the system. Finally, I discuss evidence on the evolution of gap gene expression from species other than Drosophila. My survey concludes that studies of the gap gene system continue to reveal interesting and important new insights into the role of gene regulatory networks in development and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Jaeger
- Centre de Regulació Genòmica, Universtitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
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Mutual regulatory interactions of the trunk gap genes during blastoderm patterning in the hemipteran Oncopeltus fasciatus. Dev Biol 2010; 346:140-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2010.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2010] [Revised: 07/01/2010] [Accepted: 07/07/2010] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Nakamura T, Yoshizaki M, Ogawa S, Okamoto H, Shinmyo Y, Bando T, Ohuchi H, Noji S, Mito T. Imaging of transgenic cricket embryos reveals cell movements consistent with a syncytial patterning mechanism. Curr Biol 2010; 20:1641-7. [PMID: 20800488 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2010.07.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2010] [Revised: 07/29/2010] [Accepted: 07/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The mode of insect embryogenesis varies among species, reflecting adaptations to different life history strategies [1, 2]. In holometabolous insects, which include the model systems, such as the fruit fly and the red flour beetle, a large proportion of the blastoderm produces an embryo, whereas hemimetabolous embryos generally arise from a small region of the blastoderm [3]. Despite their importance in evolutionary studies, information of early developmental dynamics of hemimetabolous insects remains limited. Here, to clarify how maternal and gap gene products act in patterning the embryo of basal hemimetabolous insects, we analyzed the dynamic segmentation process in transgenic embryos of an intermediate-germ insect species, the cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. Our data based on live imaging of fluorescently labeled embryonic cells and nuclei suggest that the positional specification of the cellular blastoderm may be established in the syncytium, where maternally derived gradients could act fundamentally in a way that is similar to that of Drosophila, namely throughout the egg. Then, the blastoderm cells move dynamically, retaining their positional information to form the posteriorly localized germ anlage. Furthermore, we find that the anterior head region of the cricket embryo is specified by orthodenticle in a cellular environment earlier than the gnathal and thoracic regions. Our findings imply that the syncytial mode of the early segmentation in long-germ insects evolved from a dynamic syncytial-to-cellular mode found in the present study, accompanied by a heterochronic shift of gap gene action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taro Nakamura
- Department of Life Systems, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima, Japan
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García-Solache M, Jaeger J, Akam M. A systematic analysis of the gap gene system in the moth midge Clogmia albipunctata. Dev Biol 2010; 344:306-18. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2010.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2009] [Revised: 04/19/2010] [Accepted: 04/21/2010] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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Evolution of insect development: to the hemimetabolous paradigm. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2010; 20:355-61. [PMID: 20462751 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2010.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2010] [Revised: 04/09/2010] [Accepted: 04/13/2010] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Mechanisms of insect development have been extensively studied in Drosophila melanogaster, a holometabolous insect. However, recent studies on other insects have gradually revealed that there exist new developmental paradigms. In this review, we focus on the new hemimetabolous paradigm. We highlight how hemimetabolous short-germ or intermediate-germ embryos establish the anterior/posterior (A/P) pattern and the importance of dynamic cell movement during germband formation. In hemimetabolous insects, orthodenticle, encoding a homeodomain-containing transcription factor, and wingless/Wnt signaling could play crucial roles in the A/P pattern formation. We also discuss recent evidence suggesting that insect developmental modes may have evolved by heterochronic shifts, while retaining certain universal metazoan features.
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Huang TY, Cook CE, Davis GK, Shigenobu S, Chen RPY, Chang CC. Anterior development in the parthenogenetic and viviparous form of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum: hunchback and orthodenticle expression. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2010; 19 Suppl 2:75-85. [PMID: 20482641 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2583.2009.00940.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
In the dipteran Drosophila, the genes bicoid and hunchback work synergistically to pattern the anterior blastoderm during embryogenesis. bicoid, however, appears to be an innovation of the higher Diptera. Hence, in some non-dipteran insects, anterior specification instead relies on a synergistic interaction between maternally transcribed hunchback and orthodenticle. Here we describe how orthologues of hunchback and orthodenticle are expressed during oogenesis and embryogenesis in the parthenogenetic and viviparous form of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. A. pisum hunchback (Aphb) mRNA is localized to the anterior pole in developing oocytes and early embryos prior to blastoderm formation - a pattern strongly reminiscent of bicoid localization in Drosophila. A. pisum orthodenticle (Apotd), on the other hand, is not expressed prior to gastrulation, suggesting that it is the asymmetric localization of Aphb, rather than synergy between Aphb and Apotd, that regulates anterior specification in asexual pea aphids.
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Affiliation(s)
- T-Y Huang
- Department of Entomology/Institute of Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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42
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Hamada A, Miyawaki K, Honda-sumi E, Tomioka K, Mito T, Ohuchi H, Noji S. Loss-of-function analyses of the fragile X-related and dopamine receptor genes by RNA interference in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. Dev Dyn 2009; 238:2025-33. [PMID: 19618465 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.22029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In order to explore a possibility that the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus would be a useful model to unveil molecular mechanisms of human diseases, we performed loss-of-function analyses of Gryllus genes homologous to human genes that are responsible for human disorders, fragile X mental retardation 1 (fmr1) and Dopamine receptor (DopR). We cloned cDNAs of their Gryllus homologues, Gb'fmr1, Gb'DopRI, and Gb'DopRII, and analyzed their functions with use of nymphal RNA interference (RNAi). For Gb'fmr1, three major phenotypes were observed: (1) abnormal wing postures, (2) abnormal calling song, and (3) loss of the circadian locomotor rhythm, while for Gb'DopRI, defects of wing posture and morphology were found. These results indicate that the cricket has the potential to become a novel model system to explore human neuronal pathogenic mechanisms and to screen therapeutic drugs by RNAi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aska Hamada
- Department of Life Systems, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan
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43
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Dean D, Himes CM, Behrman E, Savage RM. Hunchback-like protein is expressed in cleavage blastomeres, gastrula epithelium, and ciliary structures in gastropods. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2009; 217:189-201. [PMID: 19875823 DOI: 10.1086/bblv217n2p189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
We report the expression of Hunchback (Hb)-like protein during embryonic and larval development in two caenogastropods, Crepidula fornicata and Ilyanassa obsoleta. During the cleavage stages of these species, Hb-like protein is uniformly expressed in micromere and macromere nuclei. At gastrulation, gastropod Hb-like protein is expressed in the surface epithelium that undergoes epiboly. During organogenesis, gastropod Hb-like protein is expressed in the developing ciliated structures associated with feeding and locomotion. We find no detectable gradient or regionalization of Hb-like protein in gastropod embryos or larvae that resembles the graded Hb pattern of expression observed in dipteran insect embryos. Rather we found that the spatiotemporal expression profile of gastropod Hb-like protein is nearly identical to the Hb-like patterns obtained from the polychaete Capitella sp. I and is highly similar to those reported for clitellate annelids. Based upon the comparative data collected from both ecdysozoans and lophotrochozoan lineages, our results support the hypothesis that the role of Hb in anteroposterior patterning is a derived trait specific to arthropods, and that the ancestral function of lophotrochozoan Hb-like protein played a role in the formation of the cleavage-stage blastomeres and the gastrula epithelium and in structures associated with larval feeding and locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek Dean
- Williams College, Biology Department, Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267, USA
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Sakamoto T, Uryu O, Tomioka K. The Clock Gene period Plays an Essential Role in Photoperiodic Control of Nymphal Development in the Cricket Modicogryllus siamensis. J Biol Rhythms 2009; 24:379-90. [DOI: 10.1177/0748730409341523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Photoperiodic regulation of development is a common strategy for insects in the temperate zone to adapt to the seasonally changing environment. Although the circadian clock is generally thought to be involved, the underlying time measurement mechanism is still elusive. Here, we demonstrate that the circadian clock gene period ( per) plays an essential role in the photoperiodic regulation of nymphal development in the cricket Modicogryllus siamensis. Nymphal development of this cricket depends on photoperiods, being accelerated by long days and slowed down by short days. We examined the role of per in the nymphal photoperiodic response as well as circadian rhythm generation using parental RNA interference (pRNAi). per mRNA levels in nymphal heads showed a rhythmic expression with the pattern dependent on photoperiods, and pRNAi significantly suppressed the per mRNA level with no significant rhythmicity in the early nymphal stage. Irrespective of photoperiods, nymphs treated with per pRNAi showed adult emergence patterns neither of intact nymphs nor of DsRed2 pRNAi nymphs kept under long days or under short days but similar to those kept under constant dark conditions. Most per pRNAi adults showed arrhythmic or aberrant circadian locomotor activity. These results suggest that the photoperiodic time measurement requires the normal circadian clock that is controlled by the per gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoaki Sakamoto
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan,
| | - Outa Uryu
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Kenji Tomioka
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
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Schwager EE, Pechmann M, Feitosa NM, McGregor AP, Damen WG. hunchback Functions as a Segmentation Gene in the Spider Achaearanea tepidariorum. Curr Biol 2009; 19:1333-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2009.06.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2009] [Revised: 05/18/2009] [Accepted: 06/19/2009] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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46
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TOMIOKA K, SAKAMOTO T, MORIYAMA Y. RNA interference is a powerful tool for chronobiological study in the cricket. Sleep Biol Rhythms 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1479-8425.2009.00407.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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47
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Mito T, Noji S. The Two-Spotted Cricket Gryllus bimaculatus: An Emerging Model for Developmental and Regeneration Studies. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 2008:pdb.emo110. [PMID: 21356736 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.emo110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTIONThe two-spotted cricket Gryllus bimaculatus De Geer (Orthoptera: Gryllidae), which is one of the most abundant cricket species, inhabits the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Europe. G. bimaculatus can be easily bred in the laboratory and has been widely used to study insect physiology and neurobiology. Recently, this species has become established as a model animal for studies on molecular mechanisms of development and regeneration because its mode of development is more typical of arthropods than that of Drosophila melanogaster, and the cricket is probably ancestral for this phylum. Moreover, the cricket is a hemimetabolous insect, in which nymphs possess functional legs with a remarkable capacity for regeneration after damage. Because RNA interference (RNAi) works effectively in this species, the elucidation of mechanisms of development and regeneration has been expedited through loss-of-function analyses of genes. Furthermore, because RNAi-based techniques for analyzing gene functions can be combined with assay systems in other research areas (such as behavioral analyses), G. bimaculatus is expected to become a model organism in various fields of biology. Thus, it may be possible to establish the cricket as a simple model system for exploring more complex organisms such as humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taro Mito
- Department of Life Systems, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8506, Japan
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48
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Cerny AC, Grossmann D, Bucher G, Klingler M. The Tribolium ortholog of knirps and knirps-related is crucial for head segmentation but plays a minor role during abdominal patterning. Dev Biol 2008; 321:284-94. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2008.05.527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2007] [Revised: 05/08/2008] [Accepted: 05/09/2008] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Abstract
When eukaryotic cells encounter double-stranded RNA, genes of matching sequence are silenced through RNA interference. Surprisingly, in some animals and plants, the same gene is specifically silenced even in cells that did not encounter the double-stranded RNA, due to the transport of a gene-specific silencing signal between cells. This silencing signal likely has an RNA component that gives it sequence-specificity, however its precise identity remains unknown. Studies in the worm Caenorhabditis elegans and in plants have revealed parts of a complex protein machinery that transports this silencing signal. Some of these proteins are conserved in vertebrates, including mammals, raising the possibility that higher animals can communicate gene-specific silencing information between cells. Such communication provides antiviral immunity in plants and perhaps in C. elegans. Identifying the transported silencing signal and deciphering the evolutionarily selected role of the transport machinery are some of the key challenges for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antony M Jose
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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50
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Marques-Souza H, Aranda M, Tautz D. Delimiting the conserved features of hunchback function for the trunk organization of insects. Development 2008; 135:881-8. [PMID: 18216167 DOI: 10.1242/dev.018317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The gap gene hunchback in Drosophila acts during syncytial blastoderm stage via a short-range gradient and concentration-dependent activation or repression of target genes. Orthologues of hunchback can be easily found in other insects, but it has been unclear how well its functions are conserved. The segmentation process in most insect embryos occurs under cellular conditions, which should not allow the formation of diffusion-controlled transcription factor gradients. We have studied here in detail the function of hunchback in the short germ embryo of Tribolium using parental RNAi and interaction with possible target genes. We find that hunchback is a major regulator of the trunk gap genes and Hox genes in Tribolium, but may only indirectly be required to regulate other segmentation genes. The core function of hunchback appears to be the setting of the Ultrabithorax expression border via a repression effect, and the activation of the Krüppel expression domain. These regulatory effects are likely to be direct and are conserved between Drosophila and Tribolium. We find no evidence for a classical gap phenotype in the form of loss of segments in the region of expression of hunchback. However, the phenotypic effects in Tribolium are highly comparable with those found for other short germ embryos, i.e. the core functions of hunchback in Tribolium appear to be the same in these other insects, although they are evolutionarily more distant to Tribolium, than Tribolium is to Drosophila. These results allow the disentanglement of the conserved role of hunchback in insects from the derived features that have been acquired in the lineage towards Drosophila. Given that the gap phenotype appears to occur only in long germ embryos and that the main role of hunchback appears to be the regionalization of the embryo, it may be appropriate to revive an alternative name for the class of gap genes, namely 'cardinal genes'.
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